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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
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https://archive.org/details/lifeforafricarev00pars_0 


library 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


A Life  for  Africa 


Rev.  Adolphus  Clemens  Good,  Ph.  D 

American  Missionary  in  Equatorial  West  Africa 


By 

Ellen  C.  Parsons,  M.A. 

Editor  of  “ Woman’s  Work  for  Woman  ” 


Appendices:  (a)  Scientific  Labors  of  A.  C.  Good 
By  W.  J.  Holland,  LL.D.,  F.Z.S. 

(b)  Superstitions  of  Equatorial  Africa 

By  A.  C.  Good 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

1897 


Copyright,  1897,  by 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 


THE  NEW  YORK  TYPE-SETTING  COMPANY 


THE  CAXTON  PRESS 


firfc4-6 


r 


DEDICATED 

TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  AMERICAN  MISSIONARIES 
WHO  HAVE  LAID  DOWN  THEIR  LIVES 
IN  AFRICA 

TO  THE  GLORY  OF  OUR  ADORABLE 

LORD 


i f 7935 ! 


ijjuiiu  lim  ine 

I f u 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

A Boy's  Resolution— Among  Pennsylvania  Hills— A 
Typical  Community— Getting  an  Education — Early 
Christian  Influences— Confessing  Christ— City  Mis- 
sions—Recollections  of  the  Young  Student— Board 
of  Education  Incident— Dedication  to  Africa— 
Motives  for  Choosing  Africa— Mother's  Influence- 
Ordination— Departure  for  an  Unpopular  Field. . . . 11 


CHAPTER  II 

Arrival  at  Gaboon— A New  World—  “ Baraka  "—Up 
Gaboon  River— Up  the  Ogowe— Off  to  Corisco 
Island— Introduction  to  Fever— Up  to  Benito— 
Boat  Travel—  “ He  has  Come  to  Stay  "—Located— 

The  Odds  at  Baraka— Training-class— Church 
—Studying  Mpongwe— Departing  Missionaries— 
Treasurership— Studying  French— A Funeral- 
Furniture— Married  on  Board  a Man-of-war— First 
Mpongwe  Sermon— Schools  Closed  by  Law— A 
Jesuit  Hand— Moral  Condition  of  the  People— 
First-year  Conclusions 30 


CHAPTER  III 

Colonial  Government— European  Scramble  for  Africa— 
Conferences  with  the  Commandant— Delicate  Posi- 
tion—Plans— Steadily  Communicates  to  the  Board 
—Asks  for  a French  Teacher— Population  on 
Waters  of  the  Gaboon— Preaching  in  Vernacular 
Conceded— Plan  for  Transference  of  Field— Wants 
5 


6 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

a Definite  Policy— Malignant  Fever— Joys— Threat- 
ening Facts— Annual  Report  of  the  Board  ........  54 

CHAPTER  IV 

Ogowe  River— Removal  to  Kangwe— First  Itineration- 
Fever— Trip  to  Madeira— School  Question— Strife 
with  Jesuits 65 


CHAPTER  V 

Religious  Inquiry— Caution— Positiveness— Economy  of 
Mission  Funds— Itineration— Overseeing  Helpers— 

A New  Official— School  Opened— The  Ogowe  in  the 
Rains— Religious  Awakening— Communion  Seasons 
— Conversions— Growing  Christians— Needs  a Col- 
league—Value  and  Deficiencies  of  Bible-readers— 
Revival  Continued— Need  of  Books— Mission  Re- 
solves to  Advance  into  German  Territory— Greet- 
ing to  New  Secretary— Education  Necessary  for  the 
Church  to  Stand 79 


CHAPTER  VI 

Sunday  Letter-writing— Sand-flies—  “ Getting  Demoral- 
ized”— On  a River  Steamer — See-sawing  with  Com- 
mandant—In  Bad  Humor— Selfish  to  Want  his 
Wife  Back— Sumptuous  Fare— Lonely  Evenings— 
Market  for  Books— Mosquitoes— Weight  of  Respon- 
sibility—Dull  Weather— Submits  a Grave  Question 
— Encouragement  from  Far  in  the  Bush— Cleans 
House— Meets  his  Family  in  England— Interviews 
Officers  of  French  Society— Return  to  Kangwe. . . . 102 


CHAPTER  VII 

French  Protestant  Missionaries— Kundt  the  Explorer— 
Key-note  of  New  Departure— Harvest  from  the 
Great  Awakening— Lord’s  Table  in  the  Bush- 
Coast  Tour— Thinking  about  Interior— Compared 
with  Hannington— More  French  Missionaries— At 
Death's  Door— Furlough— Abroad  in  the  Home 
Church— Service  to  the  Board— Degree  Conferred— 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Mother's  Death— Embarks  for  Africa— Compan- 
ions—Drunken  Captain— Welcomed  on  the  Ogowe  117 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Inspection  of  Field  after  a Year's  Absence— Lights  and 
Shades— A Service  by  Moonlight— Fear  of  a 
Demon — Convincing  not  Converting— Death  of  M. 
Tissot— New  Church  Organized— Revising  New 
Testament— First  Fang  Convert— Trinity  Church, 
Montclair— Fang  Greed— African  Imitation— Old 
Problem  of  Wages— Must  Allow  for  Growth— 
Chooses  to  Await  the  Lord's  Discharge 135 


CHAPTER  IX 

An  Unwelcome  Task— Views  on  Health  Furloughs— At 
Sierra  Leone— In  Monrovia— Liberia  in  General— 
Methods  of  Inspection— Subjects  Reported  on— One 
Mysterious  Man— Temper  of  Visiting  Committee— 
Good  Word  for  Liberia— Return  on  Appointed  Day  160 


CHAPTER  X 

Reasons  for  Transfer  of  Stations— Where  to  Go?— The 
Key— Exploring  Committee— Again  the  Old  Cry— 
Yearnings  of  the  Dead— Awaits  Orders— Delayed 
Mail— Leaving  Kangwe— Serious  but  Courageous- 
Exploration  Plans— u Emergency  against  which  I 
shall  Provide  "—Carriers— The  Start— A Forest 
March— First  Bulu  Town— Preaching— First  Public 
Prayer— Ndum's  Town— Bulu  Compared  with  Fang 
— Geographical  Inquiry— Copying  Manuscript- 
Lay  Missionaries  Ought  to  Vote 167 

CHAPTER  XI 

Ignores  Excuse  for  Delay— Second  Exploring  Journey— 
Rain— Roads— “ Powerful  Fetish  "— “ Small  Gun  " 
—Length  of  Marches— Sites  Rejected— Favorable 
Site  for  Station— Methods  Used  with  the  Bulu— 
Specimen  Sermon— Return  to  the  Coast— Summary 
of  Journey— Written  Report— Where  the  People 


8 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

are— Bulu  Language  Wide-spread— Bulu  Traits— 
Argument  for  Locating  in  Bulu  Country— Report 
Indorsed  by  Mission— Report  Adopted  by  the 
Board 184 


CHAPTER  XII 

Animal  Pets— Collecting  Butterflies— Earthworms— Al- 
bino Monkey— Celebrated  Cave— African  Arithme- 
tic—A Human  Fiend— African  Justice— Visit  to 
Dwarfs— Salutations,  Proverbs,  A Bulu  Fable 205 

CHAPTER  XIII 

Founding  a Station— Bulu  Immorality— Efulen— Re- 
cruits Arrived— Bark  House— Object-lessons— 

“ Terrible  77  Journey— A Typhoid  Patient— Sermon 
on  the  Mount  in  Bulu— Capturing  Language— 
Dealing  with  a Chief— Separation  from  Family 
—Influence  of  Station— Outside  Congregations— 
Twelve  Days7  Preaching— A Specimen  Hearer- 
Burden  of  Responsibility 233 

CHAPTER  XIV 

Making  Roads— Building— On  the  March— Bulu  Towns— 
Woman’s  Lot— No  Old  People— Made  a Spectacle 
to  Men— Bulu  Translation  Begun— Committee  on 
Second  Station  — Ebolowo’e  — Heathenism— Mail 
from  America — Influence  of  the  Word — Crude  In- 
quirers—Dr.  Good  as  a Citizen— A Blow  at  Witch- 
craft—Night-school— Strides  in  Translation— A 
Bulu  Proverb 250 


CHAPTER  XV 

Full  of  Plans — Full  of  Vigor — Weather  Obstacles — 
Vegetable  Garden— Plans  Thwarted— Deprecates 
Leadership— Religious  Progress— Arrival  of  New 
Missionaries— The  Last  March — Returns  111 — 


Death— Burial— Successors— Fruitage 276 

Appendix  A 291 

Appendix  B 299 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Portrait  of  Rev.  A.  C.  Good,  Ph.D.  . 

Map  of  Gaboon  and  Corisco  Mission  in  1882 
Ordinary  Canoe  of  the  French  Congo  | 
Mission  House  at  Baraka  . . . ) 

Church  at  Benito 

Full-length  Portrait  of  A.  C.  Good 
FAng  Idol  of  the  Ogow£  .... 

Chapel  at  Kangw£ 

Mission  Surf-boat 

Characteristic  OgowE  Town 
OgowE  River  ...  ) 

Mission  House  on  KAngw£  Hill  ) 

Carriers’  Strap  and  Bulu  Charm  . 

Bulu  Necklace 

Dr.  Good’s  House  at  Efulen  | 

Bulu  Town  near  Efulen  . ) 

Specimen  of  Lycopodium  from  Efulen 
Heads  of  Bulu  Women  at  Efulen  l 
Pit-saw  and  Workmen  . . ) 

Group  of  Bulu  in  Ebolowo’e  . 

Bulu  Town  near  Elat  .... 
Map  of  the  Bulu  Country 


PAGE 

Frontispiece 
To  face  30 

“ “ 32 

. 64 

To  face  75 
. 78 

To  face  91 
. 101 
To  face  111 

“ “ 134 

. 183 
. 204 

To  face  238 

. 249 

To  face  250 

“ “ 264 

. 275 
. 316 


0 


A LIFE  FOE  AFRICA 


CHAPTER  I 

Girded  when  He  Knew  it  Not 
1856—1882 

P in  a grassy  apple-orchard  on  a western 


Pennsylvania  farm,  a curly-headed  boy 
stretched  himself,  one  spring  day,  and  looked 
off  on  the  panorama  of  surrounding  hills.  He 
knew  that  fair  prospect  well.  With  eyes  shut 
he  could  see  the  uplands  broadly  plaided  with 
alternating  fields  of  winter  wheat  and  plowed 
land,  could  point  to  the  dip  in  the  rounded 
hills  where  Pine  Creek  runs,  or  where  the 
Little  Mahoning  marks  a gap  between  lines 
of  forest-trees,  and  Glade  Run  itself,  scarcely 
beyond  ear-shot,  babbles  across  the  road  be- 
tween the  farm  and  yonder  little  borough  of 


u 


12 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


Dayton.  But  this  boy’s  merry  brown  eyes 
were  never  shut  in  daylight,  and  now  they 
were  dark  with  resolution,  and  his  mouth 
wore  an  expression  of  determined  purpose. 

The  orchard  was  his  retreat.  With  the 
village  boys  he  went  fishing;  with  his  bro- 
thers he  caught  squirrels  in  the  woods  and 
set  the  trap  for  fox  and  mink ; but  when  he 
went  to  the  top  of  the  orchard  he  went  alone, 
and  there  he  had  thought  through  many  a 
perplexity  under  the  blue  sky,  with  the  winds 
of  heaven  blowing  round  him.  To-day  he  had 
come  again  with  a mighty  question  surging 
through  his  soul,  and  to-day  it  must  be  set- 
tled. When  at  length,  his  meditation  ended, 
he  sprang  to  his  feet,  a frank-faced  lad 
stouter  than  tall  for  his  sixteen  years,  his 
conclusion  was  fully  reached  and  there  was 
no  hesitation  in  his  bearing,  as  he  strode  down 
from  under  the  trees  prepared  to  announce 
that  he  “ must  have  an  education  ” and  he 
would  “ find  a way  or  make  one.” 

The  orchard  sloped  to  the  south,  and  on 
the  farther  side  of  the  road  at  its  foot  was  his 
father’s  comfortable  homestead,  with  green 


GIRDED  IV HEN  HE  KNEIV  IT  NOT 


13 


yard  in  front,  a Dutch  oven  and  other  out- 
buildings cozily  grouped  at  the  rear,  and  a 
roomy  barn  beyond. 

Adolphus  Clemens  Good  was  born  Decem- 
ber 19,  1856,  in  a log  house  in  West  Maho- 
ning, and  in  a log  house  he  had  lived  till  thir- 
teen years  old.  His  father,  Abram  Good,  was 
of  German  descent,  and  had  gone  with  his 
parents  when  they  pioneered  up  from  Mary- 
land into  a remote  pocket  of  the  Indiana 
County  hills,  Pennsylvania.  Scant  were 
Abram  Good’s  opportunities  for  schooling  in 
that  primitive  mountain  district,  and  when 
thirty  years  old  he  seized  his  last  chance  for 
a short  winter  term  taught  by  Hannah  Irwin. 
The  spring  following  he  determined  to  “ take 
the  schoolmistress  and  all.”  Of  five  sons  born 
to  them,  Adolphus  was  the  second ; and  his 
one  little  sister  having  died,  the  mother  often 
leaned  on  his  cheerful  assistance  in  milking, 
churning,  and  other  household  tasks. 

Abram  Good  was  a Lutheran,  like  his  godly 
forefathers,  and  his  eldest  sons  were  baptized 
in  a Lutheran  church,  the  only  one  accessible 
from  the  farm.  His  wife  was  of  Seotch-Irisli 


14 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


ancestry.  The  Irwins  for  generations  had 
represented  undiluted  Presbyterianism,  as 
well  as  intelligence  above  the  average.  So 
when  the  Good  family  removed  from  their 
romantic  but  oppressively  quiet  farm  into 
Armstrong  County,  they  cast  in  their  lot  with 
Glade  Bun  Church,  of  which  Hannah  Irwin’s 
father,  Benjamin,  was  an  original  member 
and  an  elder  until  his  death  at  a good  old  age. 

This  was  a typical  homogeneous  American 
community.  Social  simplicity  and  hard- 
working thrift  were  the  rule.  No  flagrant 
wickedness  was  heard  of,  for  temperance, 
order,  and  religion  prevailed.  To  this  day  it 
is  unaltered,  and  fortunate  is  the  city  resident 
to  whom  it  is  permitted  to  fly  from  the  smoke 
of  Pittsburg  up  the  Alleghany  Valley  in  the 
month  of  May,  and,  leaving  the  railway  fifty 
miles  beyond,  mount  a big  wagon  behind 
stout  farm-horses  and  drive  twenty  miles 
straight  into  the  heart  of  the  hills.  Platoons 
of  violets  and  low  saxifrage  escort  him,  tril- 
liums  wave  from  banks  above,  redbud  and 
shad-tree  brighten  the  woods,  a joyous  cas- 
cade here  and  there  tumbles  down  towards 


GIRDED  WHEN  HE  KNEW  IT  NOT 


15 


Pine  Creek,  robins  and  mocking-birds  sing 
in  the  tree-tops,  and  every  farm-house  is 
embowered  in  apple-blossoms,  peach,  and 
cherry. 

One  Lord’s  day  spent  in  that  rural  hamlet 
discloses  to  the  visitor  not  only  what  the 
people  are,  but  what  they  have  been  for  a 
hundred  years  since  the  first  settlers  came, 
following  a pack-saddle  trail  across  the  moun- 
tains. Somewhat  chary  of  speech  they  are, 
thinking  more  than  talking,  generous  in  their 
hospitality,  patriotic,  inured  to  hard  work, 
and  stanch  believers  in  the  Word  of  Gfod.  It 
is  a goodly  sight,  after  “ second  preaching,” 
to  mark  the  long  line  of  top-buggies  and  open 
wagons,  grayheads  and  rosy  children  together, 
defiling  homeward  in  every  direction  up  the 
long  hill  roads.  Looking  backward  to  the 
plain  little  church  standing  on  its  own  height, 
with  evergreens  and  marbles  over  three  gen- 
erations of  sleepers  on  the  right  of  it,  and  to 
the  left  the  most  unpretentious  hall  of  learn- 
ing one  ever  saw,  you  have  the  material  em- 
bodiment of  the  most  forceful  agent  in  keep- 
ing that  community  wholesome,  intelligent, 


16 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


and  Bible-loving.  Pastor  Mechlin 1 was  also 
for  over  thirty  years  principal  of  Glade  Bun 
Academy,  and  he  was  wise  in  his  generation. 
From  its  quaint  belfry  rang  out  an  enticing 
voice  to  girls  and  boys  of  the  farms  for  miles 
around.  In  low,  bare  recitation-rooms  a hun- 
dred or  more  students  at  a time  grappled 
with  geometry  and  Greek ; and  in  a period  of 
about  thirty  years,  over  sixty  young  men  who 
passed  out  from  the  academy  preached  the 
gospel  in  then*  several  denominations,  and 
seven  men  and  women  became  missionaries 
to  the  heathen.  When  from  time  to  time  his 
“boys”  came  back  from  their  niches  in  the 
wide  world,  Pastor  Mechlin  proudly  stood 
them  up  in  pulpit  or  on  platform,  and  then 
the  village  children  learned  with  awe  what 
greatness  and  eloquence  are. 

In  this  environment,  in  such  an  atmosphere, 
Adolphus  Good  grew  up,  and,  fond  of  a book 
in  a home  where  books  were  rare,  always  “ a 
good  bit  like  his  mother,”  the  schoolmistress, 
it  was  inevitable  that  the  hour  should  come 

1 Rev.  George  W.  Mechlin,  D.D.,  pastor  of  Glade  Run 
Church  thirty-five  years ; died  1895. 


GIRDED  WHEN  HE  KNEW  IT  NOT 


17 


when  Learning  would  beckon  to  him  with 
her  potent  finger  and  become  his  master  pas- 
sion. There  was  no  Christian  motive  in  his 
decision  that  spring  day,  but  he  was  girded 
when  he  knew  it  not.  The  boy  who  would 
“ find  a way  or  make  one  ” from  farm  to  col- 
lege would  one  day  cut  a path  into  unmiti- 
gated savagery  in  Equatorial  Africa,  and 
push  the  frontier  of  civilization  a step  forward 
there.  He  more  than  half  suspected  that  his 
independent  decision  would  not  meet  a warm 
response.  His  mother  might  ponder  these 
things  in  her  heart;  but  for  the  father  to 
part  ways  with  his  son,  one  whose  activity 
matched  his  own,  who  never  had  to  be  called 
twice  in  the  morning,  who  could  hoe  his  long 
rows  of  corn  and  turn  his  straight  furrows 
with  the  best  of  them,  who,  though  a boy, 
was  intelligent  upon  the  whole  subject  of 
farming — no  wonder  if  this  would  be  a keen 
disappointment.  In  the  neighborhood,  too, 
were  those  who  viewed  such  a departure  with 
suspicion.  “’Dolphus  had  taken  to  books, 
and  a first-rate  farmer  had  been  spoiled.” 
From  this  time  on  for  nine  years  young 


18 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


Gfood  took  straight  aim  for  an  education,  and 
pursued  it  with  all  his  might.  Hand  over 
hand  he  climbed  upward.  Three  years  he 
studied  at  Glade  Run  Academy,  walking  to 
and  from  home  two  miles,  “ always  in  class- 
room soon  after  seven  o’clock  for  first  recita- 
tion,” filling  vacations  and  odd  hours  with 
teaching  school  or  helping  his  father  in  barn 
and  hay-field ; three  years  at  Washington  and 
Jefferson  College,  Washington,  Pa. ; three 
years  more  at  Western  Theological  Seminary, 
Allegheny,  Pa.,  where  he  threw  himself 
ardently  into  Soho  Mission  and  for  most  of 
the  last  year  preached  at  Freeport. 

Recollections  of  him  are  rife.  After  thirty 
years,  the  picture  that  comes  up  to  one  is  of 
“ a sturdy  little  boy,  his  dark  eyes  snapping 
with  energy  and  fun  and  his  feet  swinging 
back  and  forth  twice  as  fast  as  any  other 
boy’s  ” on  the  long  bench  in  Sunday-school. 
One  of  the  assistants  in  the  academy  remem- 
bers the  lad  who  entered  in  the  spring  of 
1873,  “ earnestness  personified,”  who  had  “ a 
way  of  giving  his  whole  thought  to  whatever 
engaged  his  attention  for  the  time,  whether  a 


GIRDED  WHEN  HE  KNEW  IT  NOT 


19 


problem  in  algebra  or  a game  of  ball.  The 
boys  often  said,  ‘ Good  plays  fair.’  He  did 
not  seem  ambitious  for  leadership,  and  yet 
because  of  his  qualifications  was  often  given 
first  place.”  To  this  teacher 1 he  came,  when 
directed  to  write  an  essay,  saying  that  it  was 
a new  thing  and  he  did  not  know  how.  Hav- 
ing received  general  instructions,  he  went 
away  and  some  days  later  came  before  the 
society  with  an  essay  on  “ Wheat  ” “ which 
made  some  of  us  think  that  we  had  one  with 
us  who  would  some  day  be  known  by  his 
pen.”  Years  after,  Dr.  Mechlin  wrote  with 
the  trembling  hand  of  age : “ Adolphus  was 
an  industrious,  earnest,  and  obliging  boy, 
ready  to  make  the  best  of  circumstances. 
He  was  respectful  to  his  teachers,  a kind  of 
natural  leader  among  the  boys  and  always 
popular  with  them.  It  was  often  said  of 
him,  ‘ He  will  make  a good  man.’  ” 

There  was  special  religious  interest  among 
the  students  the  very  summer  that  Good 
entered  the  academy,  and,  exemplary  as  he 
was,  always  attendant  upon  public  worship, 

1 Rev.  A.  B.  Marshall,  Des  Moines,  la. 


20 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


with  the  strict  and  early  instruction  of  his 
home,  it  was  expected  that  he  would  be 
among  the  first  to  avow  himself  on  the  Lord’s 
side.  But  when  his  teacher  asked  him  if  he 
did  not  wish  to  take  that  stand  he  was  “ sur- 
prised ” to  be  met  by  “ a decided  negative.” 
When  under  appointment  as  missionary  to 
Africa,  he  told  this  friend  that  he  “never 
got  away  from  that  conversation  ” ; that 
he  delayed  becoming  a Christian  because  he 
thought  it  would  bind  him  to  the  ministry, 
while  he  then  had  “other  plans.”  Those 
plans  were  for  the  profession  of  law  and  in 
the  direction  of  a worldly  ambition,  which 
he  was  gradually  enabled  to  put  under  his 
feet.  He  also  passed  through  a period  of 
questioning  the  received  doctrines,  and  came 
out,  where  he  stood  immovable  all  his  life, 
upon  the  solid  rock  of  conviction.  He  made 
a “ manly  confession,”  and  united  with  Glade 
Run  Church,  June  6,  1876,  being  then  in  his 
twentieth  year. 

The  next  autumn  he  entered  the  sophomore 
class  in  Washington  College,  and,  having  had 
a shorter  “ fitting  ” than  most  of  the  students, 


GIRDED  W HEN  HE  KNEW  IT  NOT 


21 


took  first  rank  in  nothing;  but  he  ranked 
well  all  around,  and  entered  heartily  into  all 
the  college  life.  He  found  his  place  in  the 
Society  of  Religious  Inquiry  the  first  Sunday, 
and  was  always  in  athletics.  No  one  enjoyed 
better  a good  foot-race  or  game  of  ball.  A 
member1  of  another  class  recalls  that  his 
most  intimate  associates  in  college  were  “ men 
intellectually  strong,”  and  “ Good  was  a 
dominating  force  among  them.  He  gave  the 
impression  that,  other  things  being  equal,  it 
was  better  not  to  get  into  an  intellectual 
contest  with  him.  No  one  ever  doubted  his 
religious  conviction.  He  went  his  way; 
he  acted  on  his  conviction;  nothing  else 
mattered.” 

One  of  his  classmates 2 through  both  college 
and  seminary  recalls  the  first  time  he  saw 
the  “sun-browned  athlete,  . . . eager  for 
work,  but  impatient  of  trifling.  He  was 
quiet  and  diffident  to  a degree,  but  it  soon 
came  to  be  understood  that  where  muscle  or 
courage  or  brain  or  conscience  was  needed, 

1 Rev.  S.  B.  McCormick,  Omaha,  Neb. 

2 Rev.  Henry  C.  Minton,  D.D.,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


22 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


Good’s  place  was  at  the  front.”  At  the  end 
of  his  college  course,  as  well  as  the  beginning, 
“ his  face  was  transparent ; he  had  nothing 
to  hide.” 

His  splendid  physical  life  precluded  un- 
couthness at  this  or  any  other  period ; “ but,” 
says  a friend,  “ he  was  wanting  in  those  graces 
of  deportment  which  have  to  be  courted,  and 
his  rugged  honesty  and  self-respect  without 
them  led  him,  all  his  life,  to  underrate,  per- 
haps, then’  value.” 

He  was  one  of  six  men  of  the  classes  of  ’78 
and  ’79  who  banded  together,  and  lived  at  the 
lowest  terms  of  expense,  cooking  for  them- 
selves by  turn,  as  no  other  men  in  college  did. 
If  this  drew  down  an  occasional  sharp  grind 
on  “ Poverty  Row,”  he  was  thoroughly  insen- 
sitive on  the  subject.  He  belonged  to  the 
Grand  Order  of  Log  Cabin  Men  of  America, 
where  Lincoln  belonged,  and  Grant  and  Gar- 
field. No  snobbery  can  touch  such  men. 
All  six  of  that  lively  and  congenial  band  be- 
came ministers  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
two  of  them  foreign  missionaries. 

“What  was  Good’s  leading  characteristic 


GIRDED  WHEN  HE  KNEW  IT  NOT 


23 


in  college  days?”  was  lately  asked  of  one  of 
those  chief  friends.  “ Virtus — manliness,” 
was  the  answer. 

When  his  own  earnings  were  exhausted, 
Mr.  Good’s  father  came  to  his  rescue,  and 
during  his  seminary  course  he  received  aid 
from  the  Board  of  Education  to  the  amount 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Every  cent 
of  this  was  voluntarily  paid  back  from  his 
salary  in  Africa,  an  act  which  astonished  the 
secretary 1 into  issuing  a call  to  pastors  over 
comfortable  churches  in  America,  asking  if 
they  could  not  also  refund  some  part  of  the 
aid  which  they  had  enjoyed. 

Both  in  college  and  seminary,  along  with 
other  students,  Mr.  Good  led  country  Sun- 
day-schools and  cottage  prayer-meetings, 
“ preached  the  gospel  to  the  poor  and  visited 
them  in  their  homes.”  His  services  were 
offered  at  Soho  Mission,  Pittsburg,  with  the 
remark,  “ I do  not  know  what  I can  do,  but 
I want  to  do  all  I can  and  in  the  best  way.” 
Again  he  was  girded  when  he  knew  it  not. 
The  poverty,  shiftlessness,  and  vice  with 


1 Dr.  Poor. 


24 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


which  he  there  came  in  contact  were  surpris- 
ing to  one  reared  in  his  country  ways,  and 
long  afterward,  in  Africa,  he  was  applying 
the  lessons  he  learned  in  that  experience. 

When  this  loyal,  exuberantly  active  young 
student  made  an  unreserved  surrender  in 
favor  of  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  it  was  as 
good  as  settled  that  it  would  carry  him  far- 
ther— it  would  take  him  as  far  as  the  com- 
mission read.  Accordingly,  in  March,  1881, 
we  find  him  writing  to  his  pastor  that  he  was 
about  to  offer  himself  to  the  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions.  “ It  has  long  been  my  pur- 
pose.” What  field  he  shall  enter  must  be 
determined  in  the  future;  now  he  only  asks 
to  know  whether  he  “ will  be  sent  anywhere 
or  not.”  His  reasons  for  this  step  are  most 
matter-of-fact — “ just  about  those  that  would 
suggest  themselves  to  any  one.  The  gospel 
is  here  within  reach  of  all  and  many  of  its 
temporal  benefits,  at  least,  are  enjoyed  by  all. 
The  heathen  have  neither.”  This,  he  thought, 
made  it  the  duty,  “ especially  of  every  young 
minister,”  to  inquire,  not,  “ Why  should  I 
go?  but  Why  should  I not  go?  To  the 


GIRDED  IV HEN  HE  KNEIV  IT  NOT  25 

latter  question  I can  give  no  answer,  and  I 
therefore  consider  it  my  duty  to  go  if  the 
church  will  send  me.”  This  whole-souled 
decision  next  constrained  him  one  step  far- 
ther— to  propose  the  field  at  that  time  most 
unpopular  in  the  range  of  Presbyterian  mis- 
sions. His  was  a nature  impatient  of  half- 
way measures. 

In  a speech  before  the  General  Assembly, 
June,  1882,  the  treasurer 1 of  the  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  announced  with 
satisfaction  that  “ thirty  young  men,  gradu- 
ates of  our  seminaries,  have  been  accepted  for 
the  foreign  field.”  Only  one  of  them  was  sent 
to  Africa,  and  he  only  after  a mild  effort  had 
failed  to  turn  him  towards  another  country. 
When  Adolphus  Good  took  aim  he  was  not 
one  to  turn  aside  without  convincing  reasons, 
and  he  had  taken  aim  for  Africa. 

The  following  letter  to  the  secretary 2 of  the 
Board  in  New  York  explains  the  situation: 

“Allegheny  City,  Pa.,  December  6,  1881. 

“.  . . I had  not  known  until  I received 
your  note  how  much  I desired  to  go  to  Africa. 


1 William  Rankin,  Esq. 


2 Rev.  John  Lowrie,  D.D. 


26 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


I had  looked  upon  my  going  there  as  almost 
a certainty,  especially  after  seeing  you  this 
fall.  The  action  of  the  Board  came  as  a sur- 
prise and,  I confess,  somewhat  of  a disap- 
pointment. I have  thought  over  the  subject 
a good  deal  since,  and  tried  to  find  out  exactly 
why  I prefer  that  field  to  others.  Part  of  the 
ground  for  my  preference,  I frankly  confess, 
is  not  very  sound. 

“ At  first  I chose  that  field  without  having 
any  decided  preference.  I chose  it  because 
it  seemed  to  me,  as  it  does  yet,  the  field  in 
which  the  church  was  most  shamefully  com- 
ing short  of  her  duty,  and  the  one  where  she 
was  least  likely  to  be  able  to  find  men  to 
work.  Since  then,  looking  forward  to  it,  the 
hopefulness  of  youth  and  a somewhat  adven- 
ture-loving disposition  have  clothed  the  enter- 
prise in  a sort  of  romantic 1 dress,  which  I 
well  know  is  unreal  and  would  be  soon  torn 
off  by  the  hard  facts  of  missionary  life.  Of 
course  the  thought  of  not  going  disappointed 
such  hopes  as  these.  I find  that  the  great 

1 “ With  Mr.  Good,  missions  were  a reality,  not  a romance ; 
there  is  little  romance  in  a life  spent  like  his.”  (Letter  from 
M.  H.  Kerr,  Africa,  March,  1895.) 


GIRDED  W HEN  HE  KNEW  IT  NOT 


27 


incentive  to  mission  work,  the  only  lasting 
source  of  inspiration, — love  for  the  Master 
and  lost  souls, — is  to  be  found  in  any  field. 
So  I will  go,  and  try  to  go  willingly,  wherever 
I am  sent.  Still,  I think  there  are  reasons 
why  I should  go  to  Africa,  if  I am  sent.  I 
am  unusually  strong  and  healthy,  and  think 
I could  stand  the  climate.  In  my  early  days 
I learned  what  hard  work  and  roughing  it 
meant.  I am  rather  inclined  to  adventure 
than  afraid  of  it.  Doing  without  home  and 
society  is  not  so  much  of  a privation 1 to  me 
as  to  most  persons.  And,  most  important  of 
all,  I have  at  present  no  prospect  of  being 
married.” 

Two  months  later  his  position  is  the  same, 
and  he  hopes  the  Board  is  about  ready  to 
reach  a “ final  decision  ” as  to  where  to  send 
him. 

“ If  there  is  good  reason  for  further  delay 
I can  wait  still  longer,  but  if  not  I would  like 
to  have  the  matter  settled.  I have  no  great 
objection  to  going  to  Siam.  . . . Still,  for 

1 He  ate  his  words  again  and  again.  Writing  to  his  wife 
in  1887  he  says : “ It  is  a small  eternity  yet  before  I have 
any  hope  of  seeing  you,” 


28 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


reasons  given  in  my  last  letter,  I prefer 
Africa.  Hoping  that  if  such  is  the  will  of 
the  Master  you  will  prefer  to  have  me  go 
there, 

“ I remain,  yours  respectfully, 

“A.  C.  Good.” 

Whence  came  this  young  man’s  first  im- 
pulse which  had  resulted  in  dedication  on  the 
foreign  missionary  altar  ? As  Robert  Moffat’s 
came,  like  Mackay’s  of  Uganda — from  his 
mother.  She  pored  over  the  pages  of  the 
missionary  magazine,  and  searched  out  every 
missionary  paragraph  in  the  Banner;  and 
the  boy’s  eyes  followed  his  mother’s.  For  the 
rest,  the  whole  gospel  was  declared  in  Glade 
Run  Church ; the  last  command  of  Jesus  was 
preached,  and  Paul  was  preached. 

Mr.  Good  was  licensed  by  the  presbytery 
of  Kittanning,  April  21,  1881. 

“ I remember  his  trial  sermon,”  says  one.1 
“ My  heart  was  drawn  out  to  that  young  man 
with  his  smooth,  frank  face  and  clear  eye.” 
Pastor  Mechlin  considered  that  “he  under- 

1 Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stewart,  Indiana,  Pa.  “ I am  living  on 
borrowed  time,  but  I remember.” 


GIRDED  WHEN  HE  KNEW  IT  NOT 


29 


went  a remarkable  examination  in  theology  ” 
at  that  time.  The  same  presbytery  ordained 
him  an  evangelist  the  next  year,  and  he  sailed 
alone  for  Gaboon  three  months  after,  Septem- 
ber 28,  1882.  So  little  did  the  West  Africa 
mission  stand  in  the  eye  of  the  church  in  those 
days  that,  when  the  humiliating  quota  of  one 
new  man  a year  was  filled,  even  his  name  was 
overlooked  in  the  list  of  departures  in  the 
Foreign  Missionary,  and  for  four  years  after 
only  one  brief  paragraph  referring  to  him 
appeared  in  its  pages. 

But  in  the  old  home,  that  September  day, 
his  father  was  walking  nervously  from  house 
to  yard,  from  yard  to  house,  no  one  ventur- 
ing to  speak  to  him ; and  his  mother  sat  silent 
and  tearless  in  her  chair. 


CHAPTER  II 


Grappling  with  the  Situation 
November  21,  1882 — December  1883 

FIFTY-FOUR  days  after  leaving  the  pier 
at  Philadelphia  our  traveler  landed  nine 
thousand  miles  away,  at  Gaboon,  West  Coast, 
Africa,  and  opened  his  eyes  on  a new  world. 
He  had  caught  glimpses  of  tropical  life  on  the 
voyage  from  Liverpool — off  Sierra  Leone, 
Lagos,  the  Gold  Coast,  Old  Calabar,  Fernando 
Po.  Now  he  saw  the  indescribably  dense 
jungle  at  close  range : endogenous  stemmed 
trees,  gigantic  vegetable  forms  with  gay- 
blooming parasites  trailing  over  them,  the 
lantana  grown  to  a bush  seven  feet  high,  the 
oleander  become  a tree.  He  was  only  fifteen 
miles  north  of  the  equator.  “ Since  I came 
I have  not  seen  a tree,  plant,  leaf,  blade  of 
grass,  an  insect,  a bird,  fish,  scarcely  an  ani- 

30 


MAP  OF  GABOON  AND  CORISCO  MISSIONS,  IN  1882. 


UNIVERSITY  ;f  ILLINOIS 

L .A 


GRAPPLING  WITH  THE  SITUATION 


31 


mal,  that  was  familiar  to  mo  in  America,  ex- 
cept the  dog,  cat,  and  rat.”  Centipedes  and 
cockroaches  hid  in  his  closet,  white  ants  in 
the  backs  of  his  commentaries,  the  python 
swung  itself  from  branches  overhanging  the 
path  of  his  boat.  Back  in  the  forest  big  game 
were  found — elephant,  antelope,  wild  boar, 
and  the  very  ancestral  seats  of  all  the  monkey 
family,  from  the  gorilla  and  chimpanzee  to 
“ the  little  kiting  a,  whose  waist  you  may  clasp 
with  thumb  and  finger;  and  every  one  has 
the  same  white  spot  on  the  end  of  his  nose, 
and  the  tail  is  as  long  as  the  body.” 

He  was  “agreeably  surprised”  with  Ga- 
boon,1 the  pleasantest  place  he  had  yet  seen 
in  Africa.  It  has  a fine  harbor,  one  of  the  few 
good  ones  on  the  whole  Gulf  of  Guinea  coast. 
A modern  French  town  faces  it,  Libreville, 
where  are  the  commandant’s  house,  custom- 
house, and  other  accessories  of  a colonial 
station.  The  American  mission  premises, 
Baraka,  lie  back  from  the  beach  two  miles. 
In  the  name  survives  the  memory  of  a Portu- 
guese slave-barracoon  which  stood  on  its  site 

1 Name  of  the  district  now  included  in  Congo  Fran9ais. 


32 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


early  in  the  century.  The  first  missionaries 
having  arrived  shortly  after  the  foreign  slave- 
trade  had  received  its  death-blow,  they  saw 
the  last  company  of  blacks  destined  to  the 
slave-ship.  Within  distance  of  a block  from 
their  mission  house  they  saw  the  ground,  an 
acre  in  extent,  white  with  the  bones  of  slaves 
whose  bodies  had  been  thrown  to  beast  and 
vulture. 

The  eighth  day  after  joining  the  mission 
Mr.  Good  was  on  his  way  up-country  with 
one 1 of  his  brethren.  By  open  sail-boat,  and 
again  by  canoe,  they  followed  the  course  of 
the  salty  arm  which  the  Atlantic  Ocean  here 
throws  inland,  and  which  goes  by  the  name 
of  “ Gaboon  River,”  and  explored  its  upper 
waters  to  where  they  emerge  in  a series  of 
rapids  from  the  Sierra  del  Crystal  range. 
Most  of  the  towns  all  the  way  up  to  Angom 
Station  were  those  of  the  real  Fang,  cannibals 
with  their  teeth  filed  to  a point,  and  a loaded 
gun  at  full  cock  nearly  always  in  their  hands 

1 Kev.  Arthur  W.  Marling ; went  to  Africa  1880 ; died  at 
Angom,  October,  1896.  A Fang  church  of  thirty- seven  mem- 
bers and  Scripture  translations  in  Fang  are  his  enduring 
monument. 


ORDINARY  CANOE'  OF  THE  FRENCH  CONGO. 


DR.  GOOD’S  HOUSE  AT  BARAKA  : 
OLDEST  RESIDENCE  IN  THE  MISSION. 


HBRAR> 

ONlVtRBHV  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


GRAPPLING  IVITH  THE  SITUATION 


33 


— “ on  the  whole,  in  the  rough,  materials  for 
a high  manhood.”  Mr.  Good  preached  at 
several  places  through  an  interpreter,  and 
through  the  week  was  taking  a thorough 
measurement  of  the  region  as  a field  for  mis- 
sionary operations.  Both  on  the  up  journey 
and  returning  he  was  all  night  in  an  open 
boat,  drenched  with  rain,  and  with  a face  for- 
midably swollen  from  sand-fly  bites  presented 
himself  again  at  Baraka. 

Five  days  after  he  was  on  a flying  trip  to 
the  Ogowe,  where  he  was  at  home  among  the 
missionaries,  “ as  if  I had  always  known 
them.”  He  was  struck  with  the  rapid  current 
of  the  river ; its  volume  was  “ grand  ” ; but  he 
had  no  compliments  for  the  brown  color  of 
its  waters.  Kangwe  Station  was  well  located 
to  command  hundreds  of  small  towns  by 
itineration.  The  Mpongwe-speaking  inhabi- 
tants were  fast  being  ruined  by  drink,  and  the 
Fang  seemed  rather  inferior  to  those  on  the 
Upper  Gaboon. 

A few  weeks  later  he  was  away  on  the 
coast  at  Corisco  Island,  serving  as  clerk  of 
presbytery,  and  preaching  an  installation 


34 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


sermon  for  the  first  African  pastor1  in  the 
field. 

Having  “ a glorious  day  ” on  their  hands, 
he  and  a brother  delegate  rowed  over  to 
Banya  Island  and  picked  up  shells  on  the 
beach,  wading  under  a hot  sun  into  the  water 
for  the  finest  shells,  just  as  they  might  have 
done  at  home.  This  was  defiance  of  African 
climate.  It  proved  a costly  lesson.  With  his 
fresh,  sound  constitution,  Mr.  Good  escaped 
with  a light  penalty ; but  his  companion  was 
prostrated  with  the  fever  of  the  country  in  its 
most  dangerous  form.  It  had  been  precipi- 
tated by  standing  in  the  water,  although  the 
cause  lay  far  back ; for  he  was  an  ardent  mis- 
sionary 2 who  had  been  doing  the  work  of  two 
men.  Mr.  Good  helped  to  nurse  his  associate, 
and  made  a thorough  study 3 of  African  fever 
at  this  time.  He  did  not  inform  his  secretary 
about  that  day  at  Banya  Island,  but  he  ap- 
propriated the  warning.  Many  a time  after, 

1 Ibia,  the  first  convert  on  Corisco,  had  been  ordained 
twelve  years  before. 

2 Rev.  G.  C.  Campbell.  Fever  drove  him  from  the  coun- 
try soon  after. 

3 Standard  work  by  Henry  A.  Ford,  M.D. ; died  in  Africa, 
1858. 


GRAPPLING  IVITH  THE  SITUATION 


35 


the  path  of  stern  duty  required  of  him  the 
same  and  worse  exposure,  but  he  never  again 
took  such  a risk  for  amusement.  In  fact,  a 
fine  balance  of  fearlessness  and  prudence  in 
enterprise  became  one  of  his  marked  mission- 
ary characteristics. 

His  introduction  to  the  most  unfriendly 
element  to  human  life  on  the  West  Coast  was 
more  personal  still.  “A  subtle  poison  fills 
the  air,”  he  wrote  to  his  family.  “ Sometimes 
for  a year  or  more  it  does  no  serious  mischief, 
but  gradually  it  pulls  down  the  strongest 
men.  This  does  not  make  life  here  unpleas- 
ant, as  you  might  suppose.  One  is  not  un- 
well, only  feels  a languor  and  disinclination 
to  activity.  But  I have  no  reason  to  com- 
plain, for  I have  had  only  a little  fever  twice 
within  the  first  three  months.” 

Another  typical  journey  was  taken  to  pres- 
bytery at  Benito,  one  hundred  miles  north  of 
G-aboon,  and  an  account  of  it  was  sent  to  one 
of  his  brothers : 

“ Gaboon,  April  10,  1883. 

“ . . . The  trip  had  to  be  made  by  sea  in 
an  open  boat.  I went  because  somebody 


36 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


must  go,  and  I was  the  only  one  able,  Bro- 
ther   having  been  recently  ill.  My  outfit 

was  a boat  about  thirty  feet  by  six,  carrying 
a sail  twelve  by  eighteen,  with  six  men  to 
pull  when  the  wind  was  unfavorable.  Started 
March  16th  about  10  a.m.,  and  did  not  reach 
Corisco  Island  until  midnight.  Just  when 
we  were  passing  the  rocky  point  near  Elongo 
a tornado  struck  us,  and  as  the  night  was 
very  threatening  I was  persuaded  to  try  to 
land.  Turning  the  point  too  close,  we  were 
caught  in  a rather  ugly  breaker.  Coming  up 
to  the  landing-place,  we  found  it  one  mass  of 
angry  foam.  The  boys  backed  off  and  said 
we  could  not  land.  ‘What  then?’  said  I. 
‘ Lie  at  anchor  here  all  night  and  take  it,’  was 
the  reply.  ‘ No,  not  I ; if  we  can’t  land,  we 
strike  at  once  across  the  bay  for  Cape  St. 
John.’  As  they  were  too  timid  for  this,  they 
again  tried  the  landing.  We  ran  for  a bank 
of  sand  which  lay  above  the  rocks  and,  when 
the  tide  is  full,  may  be  safely  run  into.  We 
were  carried  ashore  with  a force  that  made 
the  future  of  our  boat  doubtful.  We  went 
over  the  rocks  and  into  the  sand  safely ; but 


GRAPPLING  IVITH  THE  SITUATION 


37 


the  boat  must  be  gotten  out  again  at  once,  or 
it  would  be  broken.  The  boys  went  at  this, 
and  I had  to  get  ashore  up  to  the  middle  in 
water,  in  my  shirt-sleeves.  The  boat  was 
pushed  out  quickly  into  deep  water,  and  over 
the  roar  of  the  breakers  it  was  impossible  to 
call  for  my  clothes,  even  if  it  would  have  been 
proper  to  bring  the  boat  ashore  again.  I was 
glad  to  get  a bed  with  our  native  pastor. 
Next  morning,  everything  wet,  my  food 
spoiled;  and  so  we  started  again,  in  our 
wet  clothes.  It  was  very  hot,  with  only  a 
little  wind  till  2 p.m.,  when  another  tornado 
came  up,  and  pouring  rain  till  between  eight 
and  nine  o’clock.  Beached  Benito  about  mid- 
night almost  starved,  for  I had  retained  no 
food  for  forty-eight  hours.  None  of  us  seems 
able  to  eat  on  such  a journey ; consequently 
a square  meal  is  acceptable  when  the  chance 
comes. 

“ Now  you  will  think  such  a trip  is  danger- 
ous. Tornadoes,  for  instance.  Not  so;  I 
have  been  at  sea  in  four  or  five.  The  wind 
is  terrific  for  a time,  and  sail  must  be  taken 
down  at  once ; then  there  is  no  danger.  The 


38 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


worst  tiling  is  the  rocks  all  along  the  coast, 
and  the  surf.  The  boat  Avill  not  strike  if  she 
is  in  two  feet  of  water,  and  the  man  who 
would  drown  in  that  case  ought  to ; but  let  a 
boat,  even  if  not  running  very  fast,  strike  a 
rock,  and  you  have  a wreck.  As  such  a boat 
costs  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three 
hundred  dollars,  it  is  not  wise  to  be  reckless. 
On  this  trip  my  boat  was  in  danger  two  or 
three  times,  and  yet  my  men  knew  the  coast 
very  well.  Once  we  were  running  probably 
at  the  rate  of  ten  miles  per  hour  when  it  was 
very  dark,  and  suddenly,  not  more  than  thirty 
yards  ahead,  a reef  was  seen  above  the  sur- 
face. A moment  more  and  we  might  have 
rested  there  till  morning.  The  return  trip 
generally  takes  four  or  five  days,  but  we 
covered  it  in  thirty-four  hours,  the  best  time 
ever  made  on  the  route,  as  far  as  I can  learn. 
But  to  do  it  we  sailed  all  night,  and  made  the 
crew  work,  one  of  the  hardest  things  to  ac- 
complish with  Africans.  I stood  it  splen- 
didly, but  was  so  sunburnt  when  I got 
home  that  people  did  not  know  me  at  first 
sight.” 


GRAPPLING  IV1TH  THE  SITUATION 


39 


Thus  the  battle  was  joined  at  once.  For 
twelve  years  to  come  Mr.  Good  should  have 
his  full  share  of  the  Africa  missionary’s  lot — 
of  open  boats  under  glaring  sun  and  tropical 
downpours,  of  stemming  the  ocean  tide  at 
river  mouths  and  contending  with  frantic 
surf ; contending  also  with  a far  more  formi- 
dable enemy,  one  demanding  courage  equal  to 
any  foe  on  any  field — the  burning  fever  and  the 
languor  of  reaction  after  fever.  Could  this  ene- 
my be  conquered  on  the  West  Coast,  the  white 
man’s  life  would  be  stripped  of  half  its  perils. 

The  new  missionary  was  not  to  be  dazed 
by  the  new  world  into  which  he  was  plunged. 
Like  William  of  Normandy  on  landing  in 
England,  he  took  hold  of  Africa  “ with  both 
hands.”  In  all  the  places  where  he  went  he 
was  assimilating  facts,  in  a level-headed  way, 
on  which  to  form  conclusions  for  action.  The 
Mpongwe  people  of  Gaboon  quickly  sized 
him  up:  “He  has  come  to  stay.”  And  the 
venerable  senior  missionary1  saw  “a  fair 

1 Rev.  William  Walker,  one  of  the  founders  of  Gaboon 
Mission  (established  by  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.),  was  in  Africa 
the  most  part  of  thirty  years;  died  at  Milton,  Wis.,  De- 
cember, 1896. 


40 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


prospect  of  some  evangelistic  missionary 
work  in  this  vicinity.  He  will  soon  be  preach- 
ing in  the  vernacular.” 

The  mission,  in  Annual  Meeting  (January, 
1883),  located  Mr.  Good  at  Baraka.  There 
the  gospel  had  been  preached  forty  years, 
against  great  odds  of  heathenism  on  shore 
and  antichristian  trade  at  the  river  mouth. 
In  1845  a missionary1  found  a whole  town 
beastly  drunk  one  day.  Six  of  their  men  had 
been  sold  as  slaves  to  the  great  Spanish 
“ slave  factory  ” 2 on  the  south  side  of  Gaboon 
River,  and  were  paid  for  with  six  hogsheads 
of  rum  which  the  people,  young  and  old, 
were  consuming  as  common  property.  He 
saw  a line  of  women,  hand  in  hand,  fall  like 
a row  of  ninepins,  stupefied  with  rum.  In 
1860  an  Old  Calabar  missionary  wrote : “ The 
difficulties  of  our  brethren  there  [at  Gaboon] 

1 Rev.  J.  Leighton  Wilson,  the  leader  in  opening  Gaboon 
Station,  1842  ; twenty  years  in  Africa ; afterward  secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
(North) ; resigned  in  1861 ; appointed  secretary  of  Board  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  (South) ; died  in  South  Carolina, 
1886. 

2 A British  agent  is  called  a “ factor, ” hence  “ factory  ” for 
trading-house. 


GRAPPLING  WITH  THE  SITUATION 


41 


are  like  our  own.  The  ‘ trade  ’ gets  all  the 
advantage  of  their  labors  among  the  young 
men ; the  demon  of  polygamy  devours  the 
fruit  of  their  labors  among  the  girls.” 1 

In  1883  the  conflict  was  still  on.  The  prob- 
lem to  be  grappled  with  at  Gaboon  was 
complex:  Heathenism — not  like  virgin  soil, 
but  like  the  stubble  twice  burned  over. 
Trade — not  educative,  industrious  and  inno- 
cent, but  demoralizing,  always  associated 
with  intoxicants.  “ Trade  is  our  great 
enemy,”  wrote  Mr.  Good.  “Men  worth 
anything  to  work  can  get  unheard-of  wages.” 
He  saw  the  white  trader’s  net  spread  for  the 
native  woman,  and  the  better  educated  the 
heavier  the  temptation.  Liquor — almost  uni- 
versal among  white  and  black.  Roman 
Catholicism.  The  French  priests  were  manu- 
facturing brandy  from  the  mango.  By  “ treat- 
ing ” parents  to  rum  they  swooped  scores  of 
children  into  their  schools,  baptized  them, 
hung  a cross  about  the  neck,  and  taught  them 
never  to  listen  to  a Protestant. 

How  win  victories  for  the  gospel  in  the 

1 Mr.  Kobb,  in  the  Record , Scotland,  September,  1861. 


42 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


midst  of  such  forces  ? “ Do  not  feel  so  much 
for  our  privations  and  discomforts,”  Mr.  Good 
wrote  to  his  old  pastor ; “ I have  seen  little  of 
these;  but  we  do  need  your  sympathy  and 
prayers  in  these  tremendous  spiritual  diffi- 
culties.” 

There  were  unaccustomed  duties  to  be 
grappled.  First,  mission  assigned  a train- 
ing-class of  candidates  for  the  ministry.  Con- 
cerning this  he  wrote  to  his  secretary  in  New 
York:  “All  seemed  to  agree  that  no  other 
person  could  be  spared  for  it,  so  I have  been 
appointed.  It  is  a work  I am  utterly  unfit  to 
do,  owing  to  want  of  experience  and  my  very 
imperfect  knowledge  of  the  language.  The 
difficulties  and  responsibilities  are  too  great 
to  be  thought  about.  I can  scarcely  hope  you 
will  approve  the  appointment ; yet  I do  hope, 
now  that  it  is  done,  you  will  do  all  you  can, 
by  your  advice  and  influence,  to  help  me.” 
This  class  was  but  temporary. 

Care  of  the  church  at  Baraka  was  added  to 
that  of  the  class.  Its  membership  had  become 
reduced  to  about  forty,  some  of  them  aged, 
and  some  lifeless  Christians. 


GRAPPLING  IVITH  THE  SITUATION 


43 


Mr.  Good  was  fast  getting  liis  bearings; 
improving  the  advantage  of  “Father  Walk- 
er’s” presence,  enjoyed  for  a few  months; 
studying  the  people  out  in  their  towns  on 
foot  or  by  boat;  especially  studying  the 
Mpongwe  language  with  all  his  might.  He 
had  found  on  his  arrival  a mission  force  of 
twenty-three  Americans.  By  one  steamer 
after  another,  he  saw  ten  missionaries  depart 
for  home  within  a year.  At  the  end  of  six 
months  he  was  the  only  man  left  at  his  sta- 
tion. As  Baraka  was  general  depot  for  the 
mission,  the  duties  of  treasurer  were  now 
laid  upon  his  shoulders.  These  involved 
bookkeeping  for  the  mission,  receiving  and 
shipping  freight  for  all  the  stations,  the  com- 
plex, wearying  business  of  African  barter, 
relations  with  custom-house  and  other  French 
officials,  and  acquaintance  with  French  laws. 
To  be  competent  for  these  last,  he  straightway 
began  evening  lessons  in  the  French  lan- 
guage. He  confides  to  his  mother  (to  whom 
the  regular  monthly  letter  never  failed  while 
she  lived)  that  “ the  place  is  a tough  one  for 
a mere  boy  to  hold.  A great  deal  of  business 


44 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


experience  is  needed,  and  I have  none.”  His 
chief  complaint,  however,  is  that  he  cannot 
work  as  he  used  to  at  home — “cannot  do 
more  than  half  as  much.” 

One  of  his  public  duties,  conducting  the 
funeral  service  of  a white  trader  who  had  led 
a scandalous  life,  is  referred  to  in  his  note- 
book : “ My  task  was  a difficult  and  delicate 
one — to  keep  from  giving  offense  either  to 
his  friends  or  to  my  conscience.  I took  care 
to  avoid  the  latter.” 

A letter  to  the  Board  in  May  refers,  as  to  a 
trifle,  to  the  fact  that,  though  a vessel  has 
arrived  direct  from  America,  the  furniture 
which  was  ordered  before  his  own  departure 
has  not  yet  put  in  an  appearance.  “ Fortu- 
nately there  will  soon  be  some  for  sale  in  the 
mission  from  which  I can  supply  myself,  so 
it  does  not  matter  much.”  He  is  intending 
marriage,  or  we  should  never  hear  of  the  fur- 
niture at  all. 

The  next  month  an  American  man-of-war 
was  off  Graboon  harbor ; and  as  excessive  red 
tape  was  essential  to  legalize  a marriage 
under  colonial  laws,  the  wedding-party  went 


GRAPPLING  WITH  THE  SITUATION 


45 


out  and  boarded  the  Quinnebaug , which  was 
anchored  in  neutral  water  four  miles  from 
shore.  There,  June  21,  under  the  stars  and 
stripes,  Adolphus  C.  Good  was  married  to 
Miss  Lydia  B.  Walker,  who  had  been  for 
several  years  a member  of  the  mission.  The 
incident  is  on  the  records  of  the  Naval  De- 
partment at  Washington,  D.  C.  All  the  cir- 
cumstances suited  Mr.  Good,  for  he  was  a 
thorough  American. 

The  first  Mpongwe  sermon  came  off  after 
only  ten  months  in  Africa.  Inquiry  meetings 
follow.  “We  expected  two  or  three  persons ; 
ten  came.”  Cases  of  religious  interest  in  the 
towns  are  reported,  and,  “ from  visits  among 
the  same  people,  I know  they  are  not  over- 
drawn.” 

In  this  summer  of  1883  began  to  be  oper- 
ated those  decrees  of  the  republic  of  France, 
through  their  commandant  in  Gaboon,  of 
which  intimations  had  been  heard  before,  and 
which  would  eventually  cause  the  transfer  of 
a part  of  the  mission  to  French  hands.  All 
schools  in  what  had  become  French  territory 
were  ordered  closed  unless  they  were  taught 


46 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


in  the  French  tongue.  If  the  authorities  had 
simply  discriminated  against  the  English 
language,  and  left  to  missionaries  their  in- 
struction in  the  vernacular,  Mr.  Good  would 
have  been  well  content.  He  was  inclined  to 
believe  that  teaching  in  English  at  Gaboon 
had  been  “ a curse.”  But  American  mission- 
aries had  not  prepared  themselves  to  teach 
French  schools;  they  could  not  approve  of 
them.  They  knew  that  a generation  would 
have  to  pass  away  before  Africans  could  be 
brought  to  Christ  through  the  medium  of  a 
foreign  language.  Accordingly  the  schools 
were  closed,  but,  with  justifiable  strategy, 
“ we  manage  to  keep  with  us  all  the  boys  of 
the  inquiry  class,  and  all  who  gave  promise 
of  entering  the  ministry  or  Bible-reading 
work.  Were  we  to  send  them  away  to  be 
lost — the  boys  to  go  into  trade,  the  girls  to 
the  bad  ? ” They  were  retained  on  the  terms 
of  a French  law  which  defined  a “ school  ” as 
constituted  of  “ four  or  more  pupils.”  Each 
missionary  was  permitted  to  have  as  many 
as  three  Africans  at  a time  attached  to  his  or 
her  premises ; and  thus  a dozen  girls  and  boys 


GRAPPLING  WITH  THE  SITUATION 


47 


were  employed  in  washing,  cooking,  weeding 
yards,  and  were  taught  the  Bible  as  before, 
only  on  mission-house  verandas  instead  of  in 
a school-room. 

A Jesuit  hand  was  inside  the  glove  of 
authority.  It  was  not  the  zeal  of  Paris,  but 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  mission  at  Gaboon, 
which  had  closed  the  schools.  Its  force  in- 
cluded a bishop,  half  a dozen  priests,  and 
as  many  nuns.  There  was  one  Protestant 
missionary  to  face  their  machinations.  He 
was  afraid  of  only  one  thing:  that,  in  view 
of  government  threats,  the  Board  at  home 
would  “decline  to  send  out  the  reinforce- 
ments we  ask  for.” 

What  were  these  Africans  upon  whom 
missionaries  were  expending  their  lives ! To 
what  stage  had  the  problem  of  their  elevation 
been  worked  out?  Mr.  Good  was  fitted  to 
pass  an  unexaggerated  judgment  upon  Gaboon 
people.  He  saw  them  with  somewhat  differ- 
ent eyes  from  what  might  be  the  first  glance 
of  a refined  woman  who  had  never  visited  the 
slums  of  a metropolis,  and  had  passed  her 
happy  girlhood  amid  the  proprieties  and  pre- 


48 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


ponderating  Christian  influence  of  an  Amer- 
ican town.  His  conclusions  were  based,  not 
upon  the  degree  of  their  nakedness,  but  upon 
the  inward  qualities  which  they  disclosed,  and 
their  powerful  race  institutions  of  polygamy, 
dowry,  and  tribal  slavery. 

To  his  friends  of  Grlade  Run  Church  he 
wrote : 

“If  you  were  to  come  here  and  see  the 
degradation,  superstition,  and  wickedness  of 
the  people,  you  would  feel,  as  I cannot  help 
feeling,  that  the  work  of  Christianizing  them 
is  just  begun.  But  when  I turn  away  from 
this  picture,  and  ask  of  those  who  have  been 
longest  here  how  they  found  this  people  when 
the  gospel  was  first  brought,  they  paint  a 
picture  so  much  darker  than  we  see  now  that 
I find  a great  deal  to  be  thankful  for.  There 
is  a decided  advance. 

“ ‘ "What  sort  of  beings  are  they  ? ’ do  you 
ask?  Without  industry  and  energy.  ‘Do 
they  not  work  ? ’ ‘ Are  they  not  great  hunters 
and  fishers?’  Yes,  when  hungry  and  driven 
by  the  evil  of  empty  stomachs  to  the  lesser 
evil  of  work.  When  rain  pours  through  the 


GRAPPLING  WITH  THE  SITUATION 


49 


rotten  roof,  or  the  long-propped-up  walls  fall 
around  them,  then  they  build.  Many  of  them 
are  strong,  athletic  men  with  wonderful 
powers  of  endurance;  but  take  away  the 
necessity  for  work,  and  they  sink  into  a nor- 
mal condition  of  sleepy  inactivity.  Even 
courage,  a quality  which  is  usually  thought 
to  be  part  of  the  savage  character,  must  be 
subtracted  from  it,  at  least  in  this  part  of 
Africa.  They  delight  in  bloodshed;  almost 
every  town  of  the  great  Fang  race  has  a 
deadly  feud  with  neighboring  towns,  and 
they  are  constantly  killing  and  eating  each 
other ; but  I never  heard  of  a battle  here.  It 
is  always  an  ambuscade — a stealing  upon 
an  unsuspecting  enemy  in  the  bush  and 
murdering  him.  You  could  not  induce  them 
to  stand  up  face  to  face  in  open  fight.  It  is 
not  cruelty  and  brutality  that  make  a brave 
man,  but  culture,  refinement,  and  the  inculca- 
tion of  noble  sentiments  and  principles. 

‘‘Theft,  dishonesty,  lying,  are  fearfully 
prevalent ; fidelity  to  promises  the  exception. 
How  could  it  be  otherwise?  No  God;  only 
cruel,  revengeful  spirits,  who  inhabit  the 


50 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


forest,  and  are  to  be  feared.  Love  is  almost 
unknown  here,  for  love  is  of  God.  The 
family?  There  is  none,  in  our  sense  of  the 
word.  Wives  are  slaves ; they  are  bought  by 
giving  dowry,  as  it  is  called,  but  just  about 
the  price  of  a slave  is  given.  A man’s  rank 
is  determined  by  what  he  owns,  and  his 
wealth  is  accumulated  in  the  form  of  wives. 
They  are  beaten  and  abused  unmercifully. 
They  have  only  one  escape ; that  is,  to  run 
away,  back  to  their  tribe,  or  get  some  man  to 
take  them  and  pay  to  their  first  husband 
what  they  cost  him.  In  all  Gaboon  and 
vicinity  there  are  not  more  than  three  or 
four  women,  outside  of  our  mission,  who 
have  lived  all  their  life  with  the  same  hus- 
band. These  people  see  nothing  immoral  in 
such  a course.  There  is  some  care  for  the 
children,  but  it  mainly  proceeds  from  the 
same  base  motives.  Is  it  a son  ? He  honors 
the  parent  and  strengthens  the  family,  an  im- 
portant consideration  in  their  tribal  feuds. 
Is  it  a daughter  ? She  will  in  a few  years  be 
worth  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  dollars, 
enriching  her  family  thereby.  Most  of  the 


GRAPPLING  WITH  THE  SITUATION 


51 


parental  affection  rests  on  strictly  business 
principles.  If  you  doubt  it,  you  would  be 
convinced  by  seeing  bow  the  father  will  sell 
his  daughter  to  any  man  who  will  pay  his 
price,  no  matter  how  many  wives  he  may 
have,  nor  how  wretched  she  may  be  with 
him.  What  a life ! How  dark  it  is ! They 
do  not  realize  the  saddest  features  of  their 
condition.  As  a people  they  are  noted  for 
freedom  from  care.  They  cannot  be  called 
unhappy,  as  a rule,  but  you  will  travel  a long 
time  among  them  before  you  see  a genuinely 
happy  face;  and  when  old  age  comes  and 
strength  deserts  the  arm,  leaving  the  man 
nothing  to  be  proud  of,  and  the  woman  use- 
less and  therefore  neglected,  the  picture  is 
sad  indeed. 

“ Perhaps  you  will  say,  ‘ They  are  not  like 
us ; they  are  a lower  order  of  beings.’  Nay ; 
but  what  has  made  us  to  differ  is  the  gospel 
with  you,  and  the  want  of  it  here.  You  will 
find  men  in  America  who  have  practically  no 
religion,  and  they  show  as  little  honor  and 
truthfulness  as  men  here.  It  is  want  of  re- 
ligion that  has  sunk  this  people.  Climatic 


52 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


conditions  have  determined  the  direction  of 
the  descent.  Here  nature  is  too  good  to  her 
children.  Fish  always  swarm  in  the  rivers, 
and  you  can  have  plantains  and  cassava 
eveiy  day  in  the  year.  A few  days’  work 
provides  a bamboo  house  with  thatched  roof. 
A few  yards  of  cloth  satisfy  their  very  prim- 
itive ideas  of  propriety.  Thank  G-od  for 
long,  hard  winters  for  a great  part  of  the 
globe ! But  this  people  are  waking  up,  and 
this  sleeping  giant  must  be  constrained  by 
the  love  of  Christ,  or  he  would  better  be 
asleep  than  waking. 

“ The  gospel  has  made  some  real  men  out 
of  this  awfully  poor  material.  Of  course  it 
is  hard,  slow  work.  At  home,  temptations 
like  a great  stream  bear  thousands  away; 
here  they  are  a mighty  flood  hurling  multi- 
tudes on  to  eternal  doom.  Africa  is  opened. 
Those  who  have  the  gospel  must  determine 
whether  it  shall  be  her  destruction  or  her 
salvation.” 

In  the  fourteen  years  which  have  passed 
since  this  description  was  penned  there  have 
been  hundreds  more  of  “ real  men  ” developed 


GRAPPLING  WITH  THE  SITUATION 


53 


through  knowledge  of  their  heavenly  Father ; 
but  outside  of  narrow  sections  where  Chris- 
tianity has  acquired  a considerable  foothold, 
this  indictment  is  as  true  to-day  as  then,  not 
only  in  Equatorial  Africa,  but  over  all  the 
great  Dark  Continent. 

During  his  first  year  our  young  missionary 
had  grappled  with  a handful  of  problems 
pertaining  to  African  life,  and  had  reached 
several  conclusions  to  which  he  held  tena- 
ciously through  his  whole  career : 

1.  That  Africans  are  to  be  won  to  Christ 
through  the  medium  of  their  own  vernacular, 
not  through  a foreign  tongue. 

2.  That  the  gospel  is  to  be  given  to  the 
people  to  prepare  them  for  education  and 
civilization,  not  the  reverse. 

3.  That  Gaboon  Mission  was  to  grow  and 
from  time  to  time  apply  to  the  church  at 
home  for  reinforcements. 


CHAPTER  III 


Embarrassed  by  Government  Restrictions 
1884 

THERE  was  no  foreign  governmental  es- 
tablishment within  one  thousand  miles 
on  the  coast,  and  for  two  thousand  miles 
eastward,  all  the  way  to  the  Indian  Ocean, 
was  unexplored  savage  territory,  when 
Gaboon  Mission  was  founded  in  1842.  But 
the  very  next  year  a French  cannon-ball 
struck  the  mission  school-house  while  a re- 
ligious service  was  in  progress.  A French 
Jesuit  mission  soon  planted  itself  within 
three  miles  of  Baraka,  and  not  long  after  a 
French  administration  was  formally  extended 
over  the  district,  in  spite  of  the  helpless  re- 
monstrance of  the  more  shrewd  headmen  in 
Gaboon  villages. 

Relations  between  French  officials  and  the 


54 


GOVERNMENT  RESTRICTIONS 


55 


Americans  were  friendly  in  the  early  days, 
and  as  late  as  1864  Walker  wrote:  “Embar- 
rassments from  the  French  government  are 
not  to  be  apprehended.  It  has  shown  as 
much  regard  for  our  mission  as  could  be  ex- 
pected from  any  government.”  In  1882  the 
situation  was  somewhat  altered.  The  scramble 
for  Africa  had  begun  among  European  powers, 
and  the  French  were  on  the  alert  to  legally 
establish  their  claims  in  the  Gaboon.  The 
Spanish,  who  appeared  on  Corisco  Island  as 
early  as  1858,  had  disappeared  and  reap- 
peared again,  came  now  to  stay.  In  1884  a 
German  man-of-war  took  possession  of  the 
Benito  River  and  various  points  north ; and 
the  French,  having  with  great  promptitude 
discovered  an  old  treaty  which  gave  the 
Benito  to  themselves,  took  possession  of  the 
south  bank.  The  political  situation  became, 
and  all  summer  continued,  “ uncertain.” 

Mr.  Good  was  drawn  into  several  confer- 
ences with  the  French  commandant.  It  was 
a delicate  position  for  a man  so  young,  so 
new  in  the  mission,  unversed  in  social  eti- 
quette, only  beginning  to  speak  in  French, 


56 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


and  wholly  without  experience  in  diplomacy. 
One  hurst  of  temper,  one  social  blunder,  a 
hasty  inference,  a little  slowness  in  compre- 
hending the  commandant’s  tactics,  might 
jeopardize  the  future  of  the  mission.  The 
responsibility  weighed  heavily.  He  longed 
for  “ Campbell  to  be  back  to  share  the 
burden,”  as  he  was  forced,  the  only  man  at 
headquarters,  step  by  step  to  take  action 
alone.  The  course  natural  to  him  was  the 
best  possible.  His  directness,  his  habit  of 
taking  straight  aim,  the  sagacity  which  had 
been  cultivated  in  watching  the  wily  ways  of 
birds  and  rabbits  in  his  boyhood,  added  to  a 
fund  of  good  nature  and  self-control,  carried 
him  through.  He  had  bent  before  the  storm 
at  its  first  approach  and  closed  his  school. 
The  commandant  still  refused  his  opening  it 
in  the  vernacular.  If  the  Americans  could 
not  meet  the  requirement  of  the  law  them- 
selves, they  must  secure  French  teachers. 
This  was  reasonable,  and  the  missionary 
yielded  again. 

The  retired  veteran,1  looking  out  from  his 


1 Walker. 


GOVERNMENT  RESTRICTIONS 


57 


Wisconsin  watch-tower,  “ did  not  think  there 
was  any  one  at  G-aboon  who  knew  what  to 
propose  this  year,  except  to  work  on,  preach- 
ing the  gospel,  confirming  saints,  and  winning 
sinners.  It  seems  to  me  a time  to  stand  still 
and  wait  the  moving  of  God’s  providence.” 
But  he  had  a successor,  yet  too  young  and 
too  energetic  to  be  warranted  in  simply 
standing  still.  He  proposed  to  do  some  mov- 
ing himself  in  connection  with  God’s  provi- 
dence. Mr.  Good  more  than  met  the  situa- 
tion : he  formulated  plans  for  action. 

Now  began  a gentle  but  firm  bombardment 
of  the  doors  of  the  home  office.  From  month 
to  month  he  writes  about  the  course  of  the 
commandant.  In  March  he  observes  that 
some  property  at  Gaboon  is  held  by  “the 
Board,”  while  French  law  recognizes  only 
such  as  is  held  in  the  name  of  an  individual. 
He  finds  the  Jesuit  mission  prohibited  from 
preaching  in  the  vernacular , because  the  colony 
pays  them  twenty  thousand  francs  a year 
for  teaching  exclusively  in  French.  “ Still, 
I cannot  help  asking,  How  have  we  escaped 
this  blow  ? ” And  his  intention  is  that  this 


58 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


blow  shall  not  fall.  He  points  out  that  re- 
strictions are  not  laid  on  account  of  the  Prot- 
estant religion,  but  because  of  the  feeling  in 
Prance  that  “our  schools  are  making  the 
people  of  the  colony  English.”  The  com- 
mandant promised  that  the  other  schools 
should  be  taught  in  the  vernacular  if  a French 
school  were  opened  at  Gaboon. 

Plan  No.  1 has  therefore  developed.  He 
asks  the  Board  to  grant  a French  teacher 
to  assist  in  the  Gaboon  school,  “ in  order  to 
satisfy  the  commandant.”  Concerning  this 
letter  he  tells  an  associate,  “ I wrote  it  to  in- 
duce the  Board  to  make  an  advance  of  some 
sort”  He  wishes  they  had  a light-draught 
steam-  or  naphtha-launch,1  for  with  it  they 
could  give  the  gospel  with  reasonable  regu- 
larity to  one  hundred  thousand  souls  within 
easy  reach  on  the  Gaboon  and  its  tributaries. 
He  has  just  seen  five  missionaries  on  their 
way  to  the  Congo.  “By  every  steamship 
there  is  somebody  going  to  that  mission. 
We  might  well  take  a lesson  from  them.” 

In  August,  though  not  yet  officially  in- 

1 This  is  still  called  for. 


GOVERNMENT  RESTRICTIONS 


59 


formed,  he  learns  that  the  commandant  “ has 
orders  in  his  pocket  to  close  our  only  ver- 
nacular schools  left  at  Benito.” 

September.  He  had  been  notified  of  fresh 
instructions  from  France.  A school  might 
be  opened  at  Talaguga  Station,1  but  in  French 
only.  Much  suspicion  was  directed  towards 
the  Sabbath  services. 

Then  follows  cautious  see-sawing  between 
Baraka  and  the  colonial  office,  the  main  end 
never  lost  sight  of.  Nor  does  Baraka  always 
lose.  One  official  concession  grants  “reli- 
gious services  in  the  native  language” ; so  that 
nail  was  driven. 

There  is  another  tap  at  the  secretary’s  door. 
Mr.  Good  recalls  the  experience  of  English 
missionaries  on  Tahiti — how,  after  French 
occupation,  they  had  been  constrained  to 
turn  their  mission  over  to  French  Protestants. 
One  of  his  colleagues  had  already  suggested 
to  the  Board  a similar  course  in  their  mission. 
For  himself,  he  begins  to  think  that  “ getting 
French  teachers  is  a compromise  plan ; I am 

1 On  the  Ogowe  River ; opened  by  the  Rev.  R.  H.  Nassau, 
M.D.,  in  1882. 


60 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


afraid  of  it.  It  is  the  settled  policy  of  France 
to  make  every  one  of  her  colonies  a new 
France  in  language  and  customs.  I am 
sorry  to  believe  it,  but  I do  believe  we  shall 
in  the  end  be  forced  to  transfer  our  work  to 
French  missionaries ; and  this  will  be  best  for 
the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  the  colony.  The 
government  is  determined  to  make  this  a 
French  people.  If  so,  a French  church  can 
best  harmonize  with  that  policy;  we  never 
can.” 

But  men  were  needed.  “ At  present,  with 
just  enough  to  guard  each  station,  we  are 
doing  nothing.  People  we  taught  have  gone 
to  their  towns,  and  we  cannot  even  follow 
them.  If  we  keep  on  thus  a few  years,  there 
will  be  nothing  either  to  hold  or  to  transfer.” 
He  corresponds  with  his  associates  in  the 
mission  concerning  a possible  transfer.  One 
of  them  having  first  broached  the  subject  to 
the  Board,  he  can  “follow.”  Otherwise  he 
would  have  been  “afraid  they  would  take 
such  a suggestion  from  the  youngest  member 
of  the  mission  as  assumption.  Let  us  discuss 
this  among  ourselves.  Nothing  will  make 


GOVERNMENT  RESTRICTIONS 


61 


our  Board  act  but  something  like  unanimous 
opinion  boldly  expressed  by  mission  meeting. 
I want  this  mission  to  adopt  some  definite 
policy.” 

November.  He  is  “ sorry  to  say  I have  had 
the  so-called  malignant  fever,  which  is  be- 
coming so  fashionable  in  our  mission.”  He 
credits  the  attack  to  a sedentary  life.  After 
active  exposure,  “ all  night  wet  and  cold,  eat- 
ing all  kinds  of  food,  drinking  all  kinds  of 
water,  I have  never  been  the  worse  for  it. 
When  I have  walked  fifteen  or  twenty-five 
miles  a day  it  put  new  life  into  me  for  weeks ; 
but  when  confined  a month  or  two  at  Baraka 
I have  become  languid  and  bilious.” 

December.  A parting  shot  to  the  home 
office : “ The  French  are  likely  to  get  Benito, 
and  we  may  expect  our  schools  to  be  closed 
there,  just  when  the  harvest  is  being  gathered 
in  so  fast.” 

All  the  year  Mr.  Good  had  been  mission 
treasurer,  and  pastor  of  Gaboon  Church,  and 
superintendent  of  the  station.  “ Of  course  I 
do  justice  to  neither.”  He  might  have  added 
that  watching  through  the  alarming  illness 


62 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


of  his  wife,  his  own  recurring  attacks  of 
fever,  and  anxiety  for  the  future  of  the  mis- 
sion had  drained  his  strength.  But  the  year 
had  its  joys.  He  had  welcomed  a little  son 
with  fatherly  pride.  There  had  been  “ a quiet 
work  of  grace  in  a few  hearts  ” — a few ; he 
will  not  overrate  it.  He  had  succeeded  in 
visiting  “ a few  Fang  towns,” and  he  “ rejoiced 
while  he  sorrowed  ” for  Bessie,  the  good  Bible- 
woman.  She  had  “ labored  beyond  her 
strength”  among  her  countrywomen,  and 
led  many  of  them  to  the  Saviour ; and  when 
painful  illness  kept  her  foot  from  the  oft- 
trodden  paths,  she  “gathered  women  of  the 
towns  around  her  death-bed  and  prayed  with 
them.”  This  woman  was  a Kroo,  who  had 
been  trained  from  a child  at  Gaboon. 

A few  other  facts  were  outstanding.  “We 
discipline  church  members;  the  Jesuits  do 
not,  and  are  attracting  great  numbers.  We 
shall  have  baptized  heathenism  instead  of 
confessed  heathenism  to  deal  with.”  More 
breakers  ahead : “ Three  times  as  many  trad- 
ing establishments  in  the  Gaboon  as  eighteen 
months  previous.”  The  Mpongwe  race  was 


GOVERNMENT  RESTRICTIONS  63 

“dying  out”  on  account  of  its  viciousness. 
From  six  thousand  of  them  at  Gaboon  in 
1842,  they  were  now  reduced  to  between  two 
and  three  thousand,  and  were  likely  to  be- 
come extinct  in  twenty  years  or  less.  “ Is  it 
wise  to  lay  foundations  in  a sinking  beach 
that  in  twenty  years  will  be  submerged?  I 
confess  I should  like  to  see  promise  of  more 
permanency  for  the  work  to  which  I devote 
my  life.  I should  like  to  see  a move  interior- 
ward  most  of  all,  but  suppose  that  in  any 
case  the  coast  must  be  held.” 

Several  members  of  the  mission  had  been 
obliged  to  flee  for  their  lives  during  1884. 
One1  had  lain  down  in  her  last  sleep  at  Ta- 
laguga,  beside  the  great  Ogowe.  All  had 
borne  hardship,  some  of  them  in  desperate 
loneliness;  but  all  were  united  in  resolve  to 
stand  by  their  banner  in  Africa.  Not  spe- 
cially heartening  could  have  seemed  to  them 
the  report  of  the  Board  presented  to  General 
Assembly  in  the  following  spring : 

“Frequently  grave  doubts  have  arisen 
whether  it  is  best  to  continue  the  mission  in 


1 Mrs.  Mary  Foster  Nassau. 


64 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


such  a climate.  These  doubts  are  now  in- 
tensified by  the  disturbing  influence  of  French 
regulations.”  The  necessary  frequency  of 
furloughs  is  referred  to : “ Perhaps  the  best 
remedy  for  these  climatic  evils  is  to  remove 
the  mission  to  some  other  African  field.”  Re- 
quests from  the  mission  to  employ  French 
teachers,  or  to  consider  a transfer  of  some  of 
the  stations  to  the  care  of  French  Christians, 
are  at  first  presented  as  “ suggestions,”  but  in 
the  end,  as  it  were,  laid  on  the  table.  “ There 
seems  but  one  course  open,  that  of  standing 
in  our  lot.”  (“  Annual  Report  of  Board,”  1885, 
p.  55.) 


THE  CHURCH  AT  BENITO,  AFRICA. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Beginnings  in  the  OgowE  Country 
1885 

THE  Ogowe  is  one  of  the  mighty  rivers  of 
Africa.  It  stretches  for  over  seven  hun- 
dred miles  along  the  equator,  and  connects 
with  the  Congo  by  its  upper  branches.  It 
is  a grand  waterway  for  two  hundred  miles 
from  its  mouth,  but  above  that  are  rapids 
for  five  hundred  miles.  Its  current  is  swift, 
and  through  an  immense  delta  it  pours  into 
the  Atlantic,  according  to  the  season,  from 
360,000  to  1,750,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per 
second.  The  largest  island  in  the  river 
divides  it  into  two  channels  opposite  Kangwe. 

J ust  there,  at  Kangwe,  the  mission  stationed 
Mr.  Good,  and  he  arrived  there  with  his 
family  February  1.  The  four  months  follow- 
ing he  pronounced  “ the  happiest  since  I came 

65 


66 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


to  Africa.  Nearly  half  my  time  was  spent  in 
my  boat.  I visited  all  the  Gralwa  towns,  some 
of  them  several  times,  and  many  towns  of  the 
Fang  and  the  Akele.”  The  record  of  the  first 
among  his  numberless  itinerations  in  this 
region  is  interesting  as  showing  the  system 
with  which,  at  just  twenty-eight  years  of  age, 
but  two  years  in  Africa,  and  with  no  super- 
intending eye  upon  him,  Mr.  G-ood  went 
about  his  work.  His  care  to  be  exact,  at  least 
to  avoid  exaggeration,  is  illustrated  in  his 
frequent  use  of  the  word  “about.”  His 
notes  of  this  journey  were  preserved  solely 
for  his  own  reference,  especially  as  a geo- 
graphical guide,  and  are  given  verbatim. 

1885,  Feb.  9.  Began  my  first  boat  journey  in 
the  Ogovi.1  Started  about  8 : 30  a.m.  down  the 
small  river. 

Passed  a Gralwa  and town  called  Atangino 

on  our  left,  one  mile  below  K&ngwe.  Also  a small 
Bale (-16  town  opposite. 

Next  Akama  (Galwa)  left  side  £-1  mile  below 
Atangino. 

We  entered  Degelg  creek  just  opposite,  which 
1 Afterwards  written  “Ogowe.” 


BEGINNINGS  IN  THE  OGOIVE  COUNTRY  67 


flows  to  the  N.  five  miles  to  a small  lake  of  same 
name.  No  towns.  From  the  lake,  Deggle  creek 
turns  W.  and  S.  W.  ten  miles  (all  distances  are 
guessed)  where  it  approaches  very  near  to  the  river 
it  had  left,  so  that  just  opposite  the  Adjumba1 
towns  two  creeks  break  through  from  the  large 
river  into  it. 

By  the  upper  of  these,  Osondo,  we  crossed  to 
Adjumba.  Still  no  towns  on  the  Degele  which 
flows  on  under  a new  name  to  Lake  Azyingo. 
Reached  Adjumba  towns  about  12  m. 

Spent  the  afternoon  and  night  here. 

Preached  in  the  lower  end  of  the  town  on  the 
Prodigal  Son.  Present  about  30  people. 

A little  above,  on  the  New  Birth  to  40  people. 
At  the  town  farthest  up  the  river  on  Matt.  v.  1-10 
to  about  20  people. 

Again  below  this  to  about  30  people  on  Jno.  iii. 
15-19,  and  in  the  evening  at  Mbumba’s  place  on 
Rom.  viii.  1-5  to  50  people.  Mbumba  with  whom 
I stayed  is  a middle-aged  man  who  has  a very  boy- 
ish appearance  partly  for  want  of  a beard,  which 
want  he  very  much  regrets.  He  is  very  friendly 
and  did  his  best  to  make  me  comfortable. 

Feb.  10.  Meeting  at  Adjumba  before  starting 
for  Lake  Azyingo.  Spoke  on  Rom.  v.  1-10  to  about 
1 Afterwards  written  “Ajumba.” 


68 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


30  people.  Started  about  7 : 30  a.m.  Crossed  from 
Adjumba  to  a small  creek  a little  below  called 
Orembagogo.  Leaving  a branch  of  this,  Oremban- 
kala,  to  the  left  we  keep  to  the  right  and  re-enter 
the  Degele  under  the  new  name  Orembazyingo. 
Course  nearly  due  N.  Five  to  seven  miles  from 
Adjumba,  a large  Pangwe 1 town  on  the  right  called 
Atanda,  and  five  miles  further  a town  on  our  left 
of  Syekani2  and  Bakele,  called  Ateve.  Stopped 
and  talked  to  the  people  at  both  the  above  places. 
Three  miles  further  we  enter  a creek  called  Eganli 
coming  from  the  Lake.  Two  miles  along  this 
sluggish  stream  course  N.  and  we  enter  the  Lake 
from  the  W.  S.  W.  We  passed,  near  the  entrance 
on  our  right,  to  another  town  of  the  Adjumba 
called  Mandezimbanli.  Head  man  Agambwi. 
Stayed  with  Mangandi.  Learned  that  there  were 
no  towns  on  the  Lake,  except  one  (Adjumba)  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  entrance  and  four  Pangwe 
towns  at  the  other  end  of  the  Lake  probably  10  to 
12  miles  distant. 

Visited  the  town  opposite  called  Azyngo,  where 
I talked  to  35  people  on  Rom.  iii.  10-20.  Town 
small  and  the  people  timid.  Returned  to  Mande- 
zimbanli and  in  the  evening  preached  to  about  25 


1 Afterwards  written  “Fang. 


2 Or  “Syeki. 


BEGINNINGS  IN  THE  OGOWE  COUNTRY  69 


on  Gal.  v.  16-23.  The  people  of  both  these  towns 
seem  wild  and  act  strangely  and,  especially  those 
of  Azyngo,  have  mixed  with  the  oldest  Mpdngwe  a 
great  many  words  which  I take  to  be  Syekani  and 
Bakele. 

The  Lake,  as  nearly  as  I can  make  out,  is  made 
up  of  two  nearly  equal  ends  (separated)  connected 
by  a strait.  The  country  beyond  is  hilly,  almost 
mountainous,  but  had  no  time  to  explore  more  par- 
ticularly. 

Talked  again  in  the  evening  to  25  people  on  Matt, 
xviii.  21-35. 

Feb.  11.  Had  a rather  poor  night.  Was  tired 
but  failed  to  sleep  on  account  of  the  bedbugs  of 
which  (if  I am  to  estimate  them  by  the  sense  of 
touch)  there  were  thousands  in  my  bed. 

Talked  in  the  morning  to  a few  people  on  Matt, 
vii.  14. 

Re-entered  the  river  we  had  left  the  day  before 
to  come  to  the  Lake.  Its  name  changed  to  Olowi- 
guma.  Course  westerly.  Beautiful  hills  on  our 
right  outside  the  Lake.  Densely  wooded.  After 
7 or  8 miles,  the  river  divides  around  a long  island 
( 4-5  miles  long)  and  the  right  hand  stream  widens 
into  a shallow  lake  one  mile  wide  and  3 or  4 long 
called  Nkove.  Some  Pangwe  towns  at  the  end 
farthest  from  the  entrance.  In  passing  through 


70 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


this  lake,  keep  close  along  the  island  to  the  left  or 
the  outlet  will  be  missed.  Course  here  becomes  S. 
W.  to  S.  for  5 or  6 miles,  when  we  pass  a small  but 
very  picturesque  lake  on  our  left,  opening  full 
breadth  into  the  river  and  extending  back  one  mile, 
called  Ogondwe.  Toward  noon  we  found  a small 
lake  on  our  right  \ by  1 mile.  Very  fine— called 
Igulwe— 4-6  miles  from  Ogondwe.  Took  dinner 
in  this  lake  and  bought  meat.  No  towns,  only 
fishermen. 

From  this  the  river  runs  deep,  and  with  strong 
current,  between  wooded  hills  7-8  miles  and  then 
opens  on  our  right  another  lake  called  Loge.  Seen 
from  the  river  it  seems  very  fine  indeed.  We  see 
the  lower  end.  It  lies  parallel  with  the  river  and 
near  to  it,  1 mile  by  3 miles.  Hills  around  it  are 
very  fine.  A mile  and  one  half  further  brings  to 
the  Adjumba  River  and  we  begin  to  ascend.  First 
Galwa  town  1J  miles  above  the  junction  on  our 
left,  called  Longwe.  Opposite,  a little  below,  a 
small  creek  goes  off  to  the  big  river  coming  out 
between  Egenja  and  Asyuka.  Called  Ntondi. 
Said  to  be  J day’s  pull  from  Longwe  to  the  main 
river.  Preached  in  the  afternoon  to  60  people 
(many  children)  on  Luke  v.  31-32.  Evening,  to  a 
house  full  on  Luke  xii.  39-40.  Probably  over  60 
present.  People  left  off  dancing  mbwiri  for  a 


BEGINNINGS  IN  THE  OGOIVE  COUNTRY  71 


young  man  who  was  lost,  in  order  to  attend  the 
meeting.  Longwe  a large  town,  perhaps  200  peo- 
ple or  more  and  full  of  children. 

Feb.  12.  Passed  a very  comfortable  night  at 
Longwe.  In  the  morning  talked  on  Christ  and  the 
woman  at  the  well  to  40  people.  Start  up  the  river 
due  E.  We  pass  to  the  right  of  a large  island  be- 
ginning a little  above  Longwe  and  continuing  2J-3 
miles.  Soon  above,  another  island  l£-2  miles  long 
on  the  upper  end  of  which  is  the  small  Galwa  town 
of  Nenge.  We  turned  to  the  right  in  passing  the 
above  island,  but  the  main  channel  is  on  the  other 
side.  To  Nenge  took  2-2£  hrs.  and  the  distance 
may  be  8 miles. 

Preached  here  to  20  people  on  Matt.  xxii.  36  sq. 
Close  above,  we  pass  to  the  right  of  a small  island 
and,  a little  above,  to  the  left  of  a long  island  ex- 
tending past  the  next  town.  About  5 miles  above 
Nenge  we  reach  Olamba  on  our  left,  a small  Galwa 
town  like  Nenge  in  size.  Talked  to  15-20  people 
on  Jno.  vi.  47-57.  People  came  very  reluctantly. 
Reached  this  place  about  noon  and  left  about  2 p.m. 

After  4 miles  further  reach  a town  of  Ivile  peo- 
ple on  our  right,  called  Ompoymanla.  Talked  to 
20-30,  on  the  Prodigal  Son.  People  friendly  and 
apparently  anxious  to  hear. 

Close  above  this  a Galwa  town,  Ngondo,  of  fair 


72 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


size,  very  friendly  but  situated  in  an  unhealthful 
place  and  poorly  kept.  Spoke  on  Jno.  iii.  14-21  to 
about  50  people.  Some  of  the  chief  men  and 
women  were  the  worse  for  drink.  They  had  made 
some  sort  of  intoxicant  from  cane  juice  with  the 
bark  of  some  tree  in  it.  This,  the  last  of  the  four 
Galwa  towns  on  this  part  of  the  river.  Met  here 
Afangananga,  head  man  of  the  Adjumba  towns. 

Just  above  this  town  a creek  a few  hundred  yds. 
long  enters  Lake  Addle.  A fine  body  of  wafer 
2-2  J miles  wide  and  4-5  long.  End  toward  the 
river. 

6 p.m.  Spoke  again  in  the  Ivile  town  to  about 
25  people  on  Luke  vi.  42-49. 

8 p.m.  Talked  again  in  Ngondo  on  the  parable 
of  the  Sower,  to  20-30  people. 

Feb.  13.  After  a fairly  good  night  talked  again 
to  20  people  on  Matt,  xviii.  1-9. 

One  half  mile  above,  on  the  opposite  side,  a small 
new  Ivile  town  called  Egolianli.  Preached  here  to 
20  people  on  Matt.  v.  1-12.  Just  around  a bend  of 
the  river  on  the  same  side  a Syekani  town,  Njongo. 
Spoke  here  to  15  people  on  Matt.  vi.  6-13.  People 
very  timid. 

Two  miles  above  this,  on  the  opposite  side,  a 
town  of  Syekani,  a fairly  good  sized  and  well  built 
town,  called  Adaginlanjambig.  Spoke  to  15-20 


BEGINNINGS  IN  THE  OGOIVE  COUNTRY  73 


people  on  Matt.  xiii.  47-50.  No  towns  between 
this  and  Adjumba,  from  which,  distance  4-4£  hrs. 
pull,  or  12-15  miles.  Took  dinner  in  the  bush  and 
reached  Adjumba  2 : 30  p.m.  Met  here  Angom  and 
his  wife. 

Evening,  spoke  to  40-45  people  on  2 Pet.  iii.  8-11. 

Feb.  14.  Left  Adjumba  at  5:30  a.m.  f mile 
above,  a small  Adjumba  town  called  Anenga.  Too 
early  to  stop. 

Pull  2 hrs.,  then  the  river  Omoni  goes  off  to  the 
main  river ; 3 or  4 mi.  further,  we  come  to  the  two 
towns  called  Ompolavoma  on  our  left.  The  lower 
one  Syekani,  small ; the  one,  a little  above,  Galwa 
and  a very  fair  town. 

Spoke  in  the  lower  town  to  12  people  on  the  Prod- 
igal Son.  In  the  Galwa  town  talked  to  25  people 
on  the  New  Birth. 

A little  below  Degele  creek,  the  river  Ekalegambe 
goes  off  to  the  main  river  joining  Omoni  further 
down. 

Close  below  Degele  creek  (lower  entrance)  on 
same  side,  a small  Pangwe  town.  Talked  here  to 
40  or  50  people. 

Crossed  to  Akama  and  talked  to  15  people  on 
Jno.  iii.  16-21. 

Stopped  at  Atangino  to  call  the  people  to  church 
next  day. 


74 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


Reached  home,  noon. 

Preached  in  all  thirty  times,  to  about  800  people. 
Traveled  100-110  miles. 

Missionary  efforts  on  the  Ogowe  had  thus 
far  been  made  through  the  Mpongwe  language 
and  chiefly  expended  upon  the  Galwa  tribe, 
while  they  were  far  outnumbered  by  the  Fang. 
“Tens  of  thousands  of  Fang,”  wrote  Mr. 
Good,  “ and  not  a single  convert  among  them, 
on  this  river.  It  would  be  my  wish  to  allow 
my  associate  to  go  on  with  his  previous  work, 
and  devote  myself  to  the  Fang.”  But  after  a 
few  months  of  energetic  initiative  came  one  of 
those  inevitable,  characteristic  interruptions 
to  every  enterprise  of  white  men  on  the  West 
Coast.  His  associate 1 was  dangerously  low 
with  fever  and  had  to  be  sent  to  Gaboon,  and 
soon  after  Mr.  Good  himself  succumbed.  The 
physician  ordered  them  both  out  to  sea.  At 
every  calling  port  a message  was  sent  back 
to  Mrs.  Good. 

“Up  with  R all  night;  temperature 

1 Rev.  W.  H.  Robinson ; resigned  from  the  Africa  mission 
in  1886. 


library 

UNIVERSITY  Of  ILLINOIS 

URBAWA 


DR.  A.  C.  GOOD  AT  OLD  CALABAR,  1885. 


BEGINNINGS  IN  THE  OGOIVE  COUNTRY 


75 


103 £°.  Mrs.  R sick  too.  ‘Yours  truly’ 

is  getting  on  very  well.” 

From  Old  Calabar : “ R ’s  fever  down, 

but  takes  little  food.  Place  unfavorable  to 
recovery.  Going  to  Bonny.  If  he  gets  up, 
you  may  expect  me  by  next  mail-steamer. 
If  not,  there  is  nothing  for  it  but  on  to  Ma- 
deira. I am  going  to  get  awfully  tired  of  it. 
Don’t  like  the  idea  of  being  away  from  you 
and  work  so  long,  but  I am  in  for  it.  Don’t 
worry;  am  feeling  first-rate.”  Accompany- 
ing this  letter  was  a photograph  for  “ the  girl 
I left  behind  me,”  taken  in  the  yard  of  the 
Scotch  mission. 

Back  at  Kangwe:  “Now  I hope  to  stay 
here  a long  time  without  change.  My  health 
seems  completely  restored  ” — a seeming  to  be 
disproved  by  many  a burning  fever  yet. 

No  time  is  lost  in  getting  that  boat  again 
into  motion.  Within  a month  the  missionary 
has  seen  “ nearly  all  our  people  ” at  commu- 
nion, and  taken  reports  of  Bible-readers. 
“ What  pleases  me  most  is  an  inquiry  class 
of  seventeen,  among  them  some  young  men 
who  have  borne  persecution  well.”  There  was 


76 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


a school  of  thirty  to  forty  started,  but  French 
authorities  closed  it.  Men  twenty  to  thirty 
years  old  worked  one  half-day  to  go  to  school 
the  other  half.  They  gave  up  their  wages  to 
buy  books ; nearly  all  lived  ten  to  fifty  miles 
down-river.  “ Now  we  must  turn  them  away. 
The  children  say,  ‘ Must  we  grow  up  in  dark- 
ness ? ’ Parents  ask,  ‘ Shall  we  send  them 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  school?’  Hitherto  I 
have  said,  ‘ Wait ; ’ but  that  answer  is  getting 
rather  old.  Some  church  members  will  send 
to  the  Catholics  if  we  do  not  soon  supply 
this  want.  What  shall  we  say  to  them?” 
The  question  at  Giaboon  was  the  question  at 
Kangwe. 

“ Faithful,  earnest  Nguva,  the  only  elder  of 
our  little  church,  has  gone  to  his  reward.  I 
shall  miss  him  very  much,  and  his  place  will 
be  hard  to  fill.  The  want  of  schools  bears 
heavily  on  Bible  work.  These  men  we  have 
can  hardly  read.  People  will  not  long  listen 
to  such  instruction  as  they  can  give.” 

A French  priest,  an  ignorant,  intemperate 
man,  frequently  amused  himself  by  breaking 
up  meetings  which  Protestants  conducted  in 


BEGINNINGS  IN  THE  OGOIVE  COUNTRY  77 

the  towns.  Mr.  Good  was  ready  for  such 
cases.  He  could  summon  his  patience  and 
stand  still  in  answer  to  abusive  language,  or, 
allowing  his  opponent  to  address  the  people 
as  long  as  he  would,  “ then  I took  the  floor, 
or  rather  the  middle  of  the  street,  and  replied, 
trying  to  do  what  ho  had  failed  to  do — confine 
my  remarks  as  much  as  possible  to  presenta- 
tion of  the  way  of  salvation,  and  contrasting 
our  teachings  on  the  subject  with  theirs.” 
One  day  the  Fang  themselves  undertook  to 
settle  a discussion  of  this  kind  in  their  town 
by  a characteristic  method.  Each  white  man 
should  send  for  a canoe  of  tobacco.  “ Let  it 
be  brought  and  given;  then  we  will  know 
who  is  best.”  The  priest  fell  into  the  plan  at 
once.  “ I let  him  commit  himself  thoroughly ; 
then  I told  them  plainly  that  the  Word  of  God 
was  what  I came  to  give.  If  they  heard  it, 
well ; if  not,  it  was  their  palaver.  I would 
preach  it  to  them,  but  would  not  pay  them  to 
listen ; it  was  worth  being  heard  without  their 
attention  being  bought.  And,  to  my  sur- 
prise, the  people  said  I was  right.” 

But  it  was  a year  of  strife  with  the  Jesuit 


78 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


mission.  It  was  their  aim  to  bring  Protestant 
missionaries  into  disrepute  with  the  French 
government.  They  snatched  and  burned 
Protestant  Scriptures  in  the  hands  of  poor, 
pagan,  black  people,  as  if  they  were  living  in 
Spain ; and  Mr.  Good  came  back  to  the  old 
conclusion,  “ We  shall  never  have  any  peace 
till  we  teach  some  French.” 


CHAPTER  V 


A Rising  Tide  on  the  OgowA 
1886—1887 

Notwithstanding  attacks  upon  it, 

the  Word  of  God  became  precious  in 
those  days.  A spirit  of  inquiry  arose  in  the 
Ogowe  concerning  things  of  the  soul.  In 
March,  1886,  the  class  of  inquirers  was  swelled 
to  over  thirty  members.  Swifter  and  swifter 
flew  the  Montclair  down  the  great  river  for 
a week  at  a time,  in  all  weathers,  putting  in 
to  shore  wherever  a group  of  banana-leaved 
roofs  showed  above  the  tall  grass ; and  people 
listened  to  the  “words  of  God”  in  direct, 
well-mastered  Mpongwe.  In  June  twenty- 
three  were  added  to  the  inquiry  class.  “ I 
was  counting  on  from  three  to  five.” 

Referring  to  this  time,  Mr.  Good  wrote 
to  his  secretary,  several  months  after:  “I 

79 


80 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


thought  of  announcing  the  good  news  then, 
but  hesitated.  I doubted  the  motives  of  so 
many  in  coming.  There  is  nothing  I so 
much  dislike  as  writing  good  news  and  after- 
wards being  compelled  to  take  it  back.” 

A large  caution  in  making  deductions  and 
statements  was  one  of  Mr.  G-ood’s  missionary 
qualifications.  His  conclusions  were  reached 
with  deliberation  and  then  held  positively,1 
and  it  was  humiliating  to  retract  them.  A 
characteristic  instance  was  the  case  of  a 
Congo  woman  who,  he  judged,  could  be  of 
use  in  the  mission.  A trial  of  her  proved 
otherwise,  and  he  acknowledged  his  “cha- 
grin ” : “I  never  was  so  deceived  in  a person, 
and,  thinking  over  the  whole  matter,  cannot 
help  feeling  a little  ashamed  that,  after  form- 

1 One  of  his  brethren  in  the  mission  says : “ Mr.  Good  was 
a man  of  strong  convictions  and  great  tenacity  of  purpose. 
He  seemed  at  times,  to  some  of  us,  almost  too  positive  in 
insisting  upon  the  adoption  of  his  own  views ; but  those  who 
knew  him  best  learned  that  it  was  not  because  they  wer6 
his  opinions,  but  only  because  of  his  intense  conviction  that 
the  plan  proposed  was  the  best  or  most  practicable,  and  if 
it  had  originated  with  some  one  else  he  would  have  been 
just  as  hearty  in  his  support  of  it.  . . . He  was  thoroughly 
loyal  to  the  mission  as  well  as  to  the  Board,  accepting  its 
decision  as  final.” 


A RISING  TIDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE 


81 


ing  so  good  an  opinion  of  one,  I should  so 
soon  be  seeking  to  get  rid  of  her.”  He  adds 
that  her  wages  have  not  been  taken  out  of 
mission  money,  and  here  another  characteris- 
tic is  touched. 

Strict  uprightness  in  the  use  of  money, 
economy  of  mission  funds  as  a sacred  trust, 
marked  Mr.  Hood’s  course.  Four  years  out 
of  his  first  five  in  Africa,  he  returned  an 
annual  balance  to  the  mission.  When  about 
to  take'  a voyage  on  mission  business,  he 
would  exert  himself  to  investigate  passage- 
rates  and  choose  the  route  by  which  he 
could  “ save  eight  days’  time  and  five  pounds 
sterling.”  While  on  furlough  in  America,  a 
gentleman,  from  whom  he  had  expected  as- 
sistance for  the  mission,  surprised  him  with 
a personal  gift  of  two  hundred  dollars.  In- 
stead of  putting  it  into  his  pocket  for  a visit 
to  his  brothers  in  Nebraska,  he  writes  like  an 
embarrassed  school-boy  to  ask  his  secretary, 
“ What  shall  I do  with  it  ? ” Finding  a satis- 
factory answer  was  more  trouble  to  him  than 
to  wade  through  a mangrove  swamp.  Not 
because  he  was  niggardly  with  his  own 


82 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


money.  “ The  grand  balance,”  he  writes  to 
his  wife,  inclosing  an  order  for  every  cent 
left  to  his  account  at  the  end  of  a year. 
And  again : “You  do  not  need  to  account  to 
me  for  your  expenditures.  If  you  spend  all 
the  money  you  can  get,  you  will  not  be  ex- 
travagant.” 

This  was  while  Mrs.  Good  was  in  America, 
ill  health  having  compelled  her  return  in  the 
summer  of  1886.  They  had  determined  upon 
the  sacrifice  of  separation ; and,  putting  wife 
and  boy  on  board  ship  at  Gaboon,  he  went 
back  alone  to  the  great,  lonely  Ogowe,  his 
nearest  missionary  associate  being  seventy- 
five  miles  above  Kangwe. 

Now  again,  day  after  day,  rain  or  shine, 
Galwa,  Nkami,  Akele,  Ivile,  Syeki,  Orungu, 
and  Fang,  all,  in  their  low  brown  towns,  des- 
cry the  tireless  Montclair  headed  for  their 
landings,  the  well-known  white  helmet  in  its 
stern.  At  least  four  towns  in  a day  are 
visited,  sometimes  fourteen.  Up  the  Ogowe 
and  down  flies  the  Montclair , and  by  the 
“ small  river,”  by  Degele  Creek,  and  in  high 
water  by  the  big  lakes  to  the  south.  More 


A RISING  TIDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE  83 

often  yet  it  is  seen  tied  to  the  clay  bank,  and 
the  missionary  is  tramping  mile  after  mile  in 
the  bush,  through  its  twilight,  among  colossal 
forest  trees  with  their  endless  festoonery  of 
vines,  lush  swamps,  naked  mangrove  banks 
decorated  with  crocodiles ; in  the  bush,  dark 
with  foliage  above,  terrible  below  with  giant 
wrecks  of  lightning-struck  cottonwoods,  red- 
woods, or  palms,  slippery  vines  to  trap  the 
foot,  entangled  bush-rope  as  strong  as  a 
cable,  and,  hiding  under  the  leaves,  vipers, 
lizards,  snakes,  for  each  variety  of  which  the 
African  has  a separate  charm. 

Of  what  Mr.  Good  ever  ate  on  these  innu- 
merable bush  journeys,  or  how  he  slept,  no  one 
at  the  mission  rooms  ever  saw  a line  from  his 
pen ; but  once,1  when  Mrs.  Good  accompanied 
him,  she  wrote  upon  these  points  to  a friend : 

“Passed  on  into  the  large  lake  Onanga. 
Two  small  islands  came  in  sight,  and  the 
trees  looked  from  the  distance  as  if  covered 
with  white  blossoms ; but  as  we  drew  near 
we  discovered  they  were  blossoming  with 
hundreds  of  large  white  birds.  Ate  our 


1 June,  1888;  down-river  among  the  lakes. 


84 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


lunch  on  one  of  the  islands,  and  went  on  to 
Ngewa,  quite  a large  town.  Held  a meeting, 
and  crossed  to  the  other  end  of  the  lake 
to  Okonjo.  Arrived  at  dark,  wet  and  tired. 
Did  not  find  royal  accommodations.  After 
some  talk  we  were  allowed  the  use  of  a room 
in  a house  minus  windows  or  doors,  having  a 
mud  floor,  with  a pile  of  leaves  and  ferns  for 
a bed.  ‘ A bed  of  ferns  ’ may  sound  luxurious, 
but  my  experience  was  otherwise.  Spent  the 
Sabbath  in  this  place ; thirty-five  present  at 
morning  service.  Next  day  up  and  away  for 
Lake  Ogemwe,  far  eastward.  Visited  three 
towns.  Ate  lunch  in  the  forest,  and  then  the 
boat-boys  pulled  hard  till  dark.  Slept  at 
Aningwa-revo,  in  a native  house  as  uncom- 
fortable and  dirty  as  usual,  but  were  tired 
enough  to  be  thankful  for  even  that.” 
Bible-readers,  here,  there.  Every  one  who 
is  capable  of  imparting  an  elementary  gospel 
message  is  set  to  teaching  his  people,  but  is 
not  left  to  himself.  The  man  can  never  con- 
jecture whether  it  will  be  on  Tuesday  or 
Saturday,  but  his  missionary’s  visit  of  inspec- 
tion is  sure  to  take  him  by  surprise;  then, 


A RISING  TIDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE 


85 


whatever  he  has  tried  to  do  will  not  escape 
that  keen  eye,  neither  what  he  has  neglected ; 
and  laziness  is  the  one  thing  that  will  never 
he  spared. 

But  these  workers  must  he  paid ; appropri- 
ations have  heen  “ reduced,”  and  “ the  school 
will  eat  up  all  the  money  left” — that  is,  the 
school  which  is  to  he,  if  only  the  Board  allows 
French  teachers.  There  are  always  resources 
to  him  who  can  do  without.  Every  workman 
is  dismissed  at  Kangwe  who  can  possibly  be 
spared,  even  the  boat  crew,  and  what  is  saved 
on  their  wages  is  paid  out  from  the  mission- 
ary’s own  vital  energy  in  annoyance  and 
watchfulness  with  temporary  paddlers  who 
must  he  summoned  and  coaxed  an  hour  be- 
fore each  trip. 

In  the  summer  of  1886  the  telegraph  came 
to  Gaboon  and  a sub-commandant  to  the 
Ogowe.  For  some  months  the  same  fencing 
had  to  go  on  with  this  official  as  with  the 
Jesuit  mission.  The  same  tactics  won  the 
day.  At  first  hostile  and  surly,  he  “soon 
backed  down  on  every  charge.”  Then,  yes, 
he  would  give  permission  for  “ a school,”  but 


86 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


Bible-readers  he  would  have  to  see  for  him- 
self. “ All  a game  to  stop  my  work.”  Where 
should  that  French  teacher  come  from?  No 
one  sent  from  New  York ; no  promise  of  one. 
No  French  teacher,  no  school.  It  would  be 
unendurable  to  lose  the  advantage  that  had 
been  wrenched  from  the  commandant.  It 
was  not  lost.  A young  African  was  secured 
who  had  learned  French  at  the  Jesuit  mission. 
“ This  I do  with  the  knowledge  and  approval 
of  all  my  brethren.”  No  fear  of  a traitor  in 
camp,  because  there  was  “ not  enough  religion 
there  of  any  sort  ” to  have  been  absorbed.  A 
school  was  opened,  the  young  man  put  in 
charge,  and  the  event  justified  the  measure. 

No  earthly  commandant  could  stop  the 
current  which  had  begun  to  move  in  men’s 
hearts  on  the  Ogowe.  The  Spirit  of  God  was 
in  it. 

Every  year  in  October,  in  that  equatorial 
region,  the  skies  open  and  tropical  rains  pour 
down.  They  last  for  weeks ; and  what  began, 
like  the  tuning  of  an  orchestra,  with  an  omi- 
nous drum,  drumming,  upon  countless  green 
leaves,  swells  to  a wild,  pauseless  symphony, 


A RISING  TIDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE 


87 


reverberating  through  the  whole  vast,  shad- 
owy forest.  All  the  streams  hear  it — some 
of  them  mentionable  rivers  themselves — and 
they  forget  their  old  banks,  they  spread  out 
in  lakes,  and  with  accelerated  heart-beat  rush 
forward  to  bury  themselves  in  the  bosom  of 
the  mighty  Ogowe.  She  hears  them  coming, 
and,  always  rapid,  as  broad  at  two  hundred 
miles  from  sea  as  the  Delaware  is  at  Philadel- 
phia, she  welcomes  them  with  a quickened 
pulsation.  Her  current  strengthens  to  fully 
five  miles  an  hour.  Low  sand-banks,  patches 
of  papyrus,  and  small  islands  are  drowned 
out  of  view.  Vines  wont  to  swing  far  up  on 
palm-stem  and  redwood  branch  now  dip  and 
trail  in  the  water’s  edge,  and  floating  islands 
glide  down-stream.  The  bush  is  alive  with 
vivified  ants,  and  lizards,  and  glistening 
snakes  swinging  from  boughs  overhead, 
while  hippopotamuses  troop  away  to  find 
shallow  lagoons. 

And  in  the  heart  of  the  human  dweller 
along  its  banks,  who,  perhaps,  distrusting  his 
house  foundations,  has  climbed  to  a perch  in 
a tree  to  sleep,  the  dread  of  the  Ogowe  grows 


88 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


night  by  night  as  he  harks  to  the  roar  of  the 
forest  wind,  the  crashing  of  some  giant  tree 
or  a boat-house  swept  away,  or  a startling 
shriek,  warning  him  that  another  canoe  has 
been  engulfed.  Morning  by  morning  he  looks 
out  on  an  awesome  sight,  for  the  Ogowe 
covers  a vast  area.  By  the  tenth  day  it  has 
risen  twenty  feet  in  front  of  his  door.  You 
cannot  legislate  the  rise  of  the  Ogowe  in  the 
rains. 

At  the  beginning  of  1886  thirty-eight  souls, 
gathered  out  of  paganism,  constituted  the 
church 1 of  Jesus  Christ  on  the  Ogowe.  But 
the  tide  was  rising ; ten  years  after  there  were 
six  hundred  Christians  there. 

All  1886  each  quarterly  communion  was  a 
high-day  and  a holiday  at  Kangwe.  One  is 
reminded  of  the  old  observance  of  sacraments 
in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland.  Canoes  came 
flocking  from  every  waterside  for  fifty  miles 
around.  They  came  on  W ednesday  or  Thurs- 
day before  communion  Sunday,  and  the  peo- 

1 The  first  converts  were  taken  to  the  coast  to  be  baptized, 
and  united  by  letter  when  the  church  was  organized  in  1879, 
with  nine  members,  three  of  them  on  confession  of  faith. 


A RISING  TIDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE 


89 


pie  lived  on  the  mission  premises  five,  six, 
seven  days  together.  Every  one  brought  the 
inevitable  mosquito  net  of  strong  cloth ; and 
when  they  had  been  hung  over  stakes  driven 
into  the  ground,  there  was  presented  an  en- 
campment of  multicolored  tents,  which  sur- 
rounded the  church,  overflowed  the  mission 
yard,  and  made  points  where  light  played  in 
the  shade  of  the  plantain  grove,  under  the 
oil  palm  and  mango  trees.  In  true  African 
style,  they  all  had  brought  cooking  utensils 
and  provisions ; and  when  the  sudden  tropi- 
cal night  fell,  and  the  pale  equatorial  moon- 
light spangled  the  Ogowe,  only  fifty  yards 
from  their  feet,  picturesque  cooking  fires 
shone  here  and  there,  and  the  people  sat 
around  them  in  homelike  fashion,  eating  a 
supper  of  cassava,  roasted  plantains,  and  dried 
elephant  meat.  The  echo  of  tom-toms  across 
the  river  easily  located  some  heathen  dance ; 
but  the  loudest  sound  on  Kangwe  Hill  was 
the  chorus  of  voices  singing  the  beautiful  new 
Mpongwe  hymns,  and  singing  them  well. 

But  what  was  to  the  people  a joyous  Feast 
of  Tabernacles  was  a week  of  strain  and  care 


90 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


to  the  missionary  in  charge  and  any  associate 
who  might  come  to  his  help  for  the  occasion. 
There  was  the  direction  of  preaching  services 
every  afternoon  and  three  times  on  Sunday, 
besides  those  which  the  people  held  them- 
selves every  evening.  There  were  the  offer- 
ings of  consecration : a fowl  or  a basket  of 
eggs,  a few  fish  or  a bunch  of  plantains. 
These  must  all  be  examined  and  a proper 
due-bill  given  to  each  individual,  which  he 
places  in  the  collection  in  lieu  of  currency. 
Bible-readers  must  render  reports,  receive 
their  wages  and  instructions.  Long  hours 
were  consumed  in  examining  applicants  for 
inquiry  class;  longer,  intense  hours  were 
spent  with  church  session  at  every  available 
time  of  day,  and  far  into  the  nights,  in  care- 
ful examination  of  candidates  for  baptism. 
Mr.  Good  once  compared  Kangwe  commu- 
nions to  calling  the  roll  of  divisions  of  an  army 
after  battle.  Christians  had  come  by  twos 
and  threes  and  tens  from  scattered  villages 
in  each  district,  and  calling  the  roll  was  some- 
times glad,  often  sad,  work.  “From  some 
villages  comes  news  of  victory  and  new;  re- 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


* 


THE  MEMORABLE  CHAPEL  AT  KANGWE. 


A RISING  TIDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE 


91 


cruits ; from  others  sad  stories  of  defeat  and 
loss.” 

The  missionary  had  at  once  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  host,  mission  agent,  and  bishop 
of  souls.  Such  responsibility,  dread  of  being 
deceived  by  flattering  appearances,  contact 
with  hundreds  of  human  beings  crowded 
about  him,  even  into  his  private  apartments, 
all  wore  upon  brain  and  spirit.  “ I do  not 
pretend  to  sleep  more  than  a few  hours  each 
night  during  communion.” 

In  September : “ It  was  the  busy  season, 
and  we  expected  to  add  only  eight  or  ten  to 
the  roll  of  inquirers.  After  a great  deal  of 
sifting  we  added  forty-three,  making  the 
whole  number  about  ninety.  Of  course  these 
figures  must  not  be  taken  for  their  full  face 
value.  Not  all  of  these  ninety  persons  will 
finally  become  baptized  members  of  the 
Ogowe  Church,  but  a large  part  of  them  will. 
There  is  enough  to  convince  us  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  is  at  work  mightily  here. 

“ We  see  a marked  increase  of  spirituality 
within  the  church,  a disposition  to  call 
offenders  to  account  instead  of  shielding 


92 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


them,  as  was  too  common  formerly.  Chris- 
tians are  beginning  to  realize  their  duty  to 
preach  Christ;  in  some  quarters  they  begin 
to  give  to  his  cause.  Grod  was  at  work  when 
we  had  least  reason,  apparently,  to  expect  it, 
and  now,  having  seen  his  power,  we  realize 
what  we  might  accomplish  by  his  power. 
Pray  with  us  that  his  hand  be  not  stayed  till 
he  work  a great  change  in  this  river  region.” 

From  Longwe  and  Nenge  they  brought 
over  ten  dollars  in  fish  to  the  collection. 
“ Nenge  is  a town  I had  given  up.  The  last 
time  I passed,  the  people  were  so  drunk  that 
I passed  without  preaching ; now  six  or  eight 
men  at  one  time  gathered  their  fetishes  and 
threw  them  into  the  Ogowe.  Women  are 
beginning  to  come.” 

Of  December  communion  he  reports  to 
his  wife:  “More  than  two  hundred  stayed 
somewhere  about  the  houses.  They  put 
boards  under  the  big  house  and  stayed  there. 
Unprotected  women  were  admitted  to  the 
dining-room,  and  twelve  mosquito  nets  were 
put  up  there.  Boat-house  crowded.  The 
collection  about  twenty  dollars.  Baptized 


A RISING  TIDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE 


93 


eight.  Beceived  eighty-one  new  inquirers; 
total,  one  hundred  and  sixty-three,  of  whom 
forty  are  women — the  most  encouraging  fea- 
ture, for  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  there 
were  only  three  or  four  women  in  the  church. 
The  change  is  like  a waking  from  the  dead. 

“ I wish  I had  a good  man  here  on  whom 
to  roll  a part  of  this  responsibility.” 

As  the  year  closes  there  is  an  urgent  voice 
at  the  secretary’s  door  in  New  York : “ What 
we  need  now  is  help.  Already  I have  had 
the  most  dangerous  form  of  fever  twice.  The 
doctor  says  I ought  to  go  home  now — not 
that  I have  any  notion  of  acting  on  this  ad- 
vice ; but  should  I break  down  without  an- 
other man  here,  it  would  be  disastrous.  More 
now  depends  on  constant,  careful  supervision 
than  anything  else  except  the  presence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.” 

He  begs  that  an  assistant  be  sent  in  time 
to  learn  the  language  and  gain  the  confidence 
of  the  people,  especially  to  learn  how  to  take 
care  of  his  health  in  the  African  climate,  be- 
fore he  should  be  left  alone.  “ To  begin  alone 
would  be  almost  certain  death.” 


94 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


In  connection  with  his  annual  report,  Jan- 
uary, 1887,  Mr.  Good  repeats  his  earnest  re- 
quest : 

“ I beg  to  remind  the  Board  of  the  necessity 
of  at  once  sending  us  assistance.  We  must 
acknowledge  that  God  has  been  far  more 
faithful  in  blessing  the  gospel  than  we  have 
been  in  preaching  it.  The  work  done  by  my- 
self has  been  little  enough — nothing  com- 
pared with  what  ought  to  be  done.  The  main 
part  was  done  by  five  Bible-readers.  My 
field  is  so  extensive,  all  I could  attempt  was 
to  inspect  their  work  occasionally.  It  is 
these  men  who  have  brought  the  gospel 
weekly  to  scores  of  villages  scattered  up  and 
down  the  Ogowe  for  a hundred  miles.  Each 
is  provided  with  a small  canoe  and  two  or 
three  boys  to  help  handle  it ; thus  fitted  out, 
he  is  expected  to  visit  as  often  as  possible  all 
the  towns  in  his  district.  It  is  to  the  efforts 
of  these  men,  more  than  all  other  influences 
combined,  that  we  are  to  ascribe,  under  God, 
this  awakening  we  have  enjoyed.  But  it 
will  not  do  to  overestimate  their  efficiency 
and  neglect  to  provide  anything  better. 


A RISING  TIDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE 


95 


u If  each  of  these  men  were  educated,  or 
being  educated,  so  that,  when  in  a few  years 
each  of  these  Bible-reading  stations  has  be- 
come a church,  he  could  be  licensed  to  preach, 
and  when  his  church  had  grown  strong  to 
support  him  could  be  ordained  its  pastor, 
then  the  plan  would  be  perfect.  But  I am 
sorry  to  say  these  men  are  utterly  unfit  for 
such  a work.  They  are  only  useful  because 
the  mass  of  the  people  are  so  ignorant.  Some 
of  them  can  barely  read  their  own  language, 
none  read  well;  and  they  write  a little  in 
characters  that  are  fearfully  and  wonderfully 
made.  When  their  modicum  of  knowledge 
becomes  the  property  of  the  many  their  use- 
fulness will  be  past,  unless  they  can  be 
educated  so  as  to  keep  in  advance  of  the 
people.” 

This  awakening  was  connected  with  no 
prospect  of  gaining  worldly  advancement. 
Few  converts  could  be  employed  by  the  mis- 
sion, and  conversion  would  require  many,  by 
refusing  to  deal  in  rum  and  by  honoring  the 
Sabbath,  to  lose  positions  in  trade.  All  who 
had  more  than  one  wife  were  bound  to  incur 


96 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


loss  of  dowries.  Still,  one  hundred  and  sixty 
men  and  women  this  year  decided  for  Christ 
in  the  Ogowe.  “ If  the  Holy  Ghost  has  not 
done  it,  what  has  ? ” 

But  the  missionary’s  ideal  was  not  to  he 
blurred  by  a measured  success.  The  converts 
and  inquirers  were  from  several  different 
tribes,  but  so  far  there  was  not  one  Fang. 
One  Bible-reader  spoke  Fang  fluently,  and 
was  so  located  as  to  visit  frequently  fifteen 
or  twenty  Fang  towns.  “ The  only  one  for 
twenty  or  thirty  thousand  Fang  within  easy 
reach  of  Kangwe!  What  is  one  among  so 
many  ? ” 

Still  the  tide  was  rising  on  the  Ogowe. 
There  were  more  troubled  consciences  than 
ever  in  1887.  At  March  communion  extra 
benches  filled  every  available  space  on  Sun- 
day. Scarcely  any  were  mere  spectators; 
almost  all  were  members  or  inquirers.  Only 
six  were  baptized,  for  inquirers  were  obliged 
to  complete  a year  in  the  class  before  baptism. 
There  were  now  two  hundred  and  forty-nine 
inquirers  from  five  different  tribes,  speaking 
languages  as  different  as  German  and  English. 


A RISING  TIDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE 


97 


Spiritual  earnestness  was  the  token  on  every 
hand.  Church  members  in  general  held  daily 
prayer  and  Sabbath  services  wherever  they 
were,  and  inquirers  went  long  distances  to  be 
present. 

Two  problems  now  confront  the  missionary : 

1.  “ How  are  all  these  inquirers  to  be  in- 
structed?” Answered,  by  increasing  the 
efficiency  of  Bible-readers.  They  and  other 
picked  young  men,  a normal  class  of  twelve, 
are  brought  to  Kangwe  for  a month  of  hard 
study  and  again  sent  forth. 

2.  Books  were  required.  “I  could  have 
sold  a hundred  primers  communion  week. 
At  the  rate  they  are  called  for,  a year  will 
exhaust  all  the  Mpongwe  books  we  have  in 
print,  except  hymn-books.”  This  problem  is 
solved  by  two  Mpongwe  manuscripts,  which 
spring  up  like  Jonah’s  gourd,  and  are 
promptly  mailed  to  America  to  be  printed 
while  Mrs.  Good  is  there  to  read  proofs.  As 
for  money  to  pay  the  printer,  his  butterfly 
net  has  provided  for  “the  tract,”  and  he 
“ would  rather  foot  the  bill  ” for  five  hundred 
primers  also  “than  not  to  have  them  right 


98 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


away.”  The  church  in  America  was  poor, 
and  the  missionary  paid  for  the  primers ! 

Difficulty  with  the  colonial  government  had 
never  ceased.  There  were  constant  oppor- 
tunities for  sub-officials,  clothed  with  a brief 
authority  and  backed  by  a Mohammedan 
soldiery  and  police  from  Senegal,  to  be  exas- 
perating towards  Americans.  One  fact  only 
prevented  rupture : a modus  vivendi  had  been 
established  by  opening  the  French  school  at 
Kangwe,  and  by  the  promise  of  the  mission- 
aries to  do  all  in  their  power  to  secure  French 
teachers.  In  view  of  the  situation,  the  mis- 
sion, in  January,  1887,  passed  the  following 
resolution : 

“Whereas,  In  view  of  the  settled  educa- 
tional policy  of  the  French  rulers  of  this  col- 
ony, it  is,  and  in  our  opinion  always  will  be, 
impossible  for  us  to  carry  on  our  work  here, 
except  under  most  crippling  and  vexatious 
restraints ; therefore, 

“ Resolved , That  wre  strongly  urge  upon  the 
Board  the  advisability  of  transferring  to  a 
French  Protestant  society  the  whole  of  our 
Gaboon  and  Ogowe  work.” 


A RISING  TIDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE 


99 


A committee  of  the  mission  also  reported 1 
that  should  the  mission  continue  to  hold  the 
Gaboon  and  Ogowe  districts,  “we  have  no 
hope  of  making  further  advance  therein,”  and 
requested  the  Board  “ as  soon  as  possible  to 
take  steps  with  the  German  government  ” in 
the  north  to  extend  efforts  in  that  direction. 
“We  are  under  the  impression  that,  Germany- 
being  a Protestant  power,  we  would  be  free 
from  the  seizure  and  burning  of  our  people’s 
Bibles  by  Romish  priests,  at  present  un- 
checked by  our  French  rulers.” 

A few  months  later,  a new  secretary 2 hav- 
ing been  placed  in  charge  of  the  Africa  mis- 
sion, Mr.  Good  sent  him  greeting : 

“ I cannot  say  that  I congratulate  you  on 
the  task  you  have  undertaken.  Missionaries 
in  Africa  are  apt  to  be  bilious,  and  a bilious 
man  is  proverbially  hard  to  please.  The  cli- 
mate is  at  times  terribly  depressing,  and 
when  everything  looks  blue  we  are  apt  to 
blame  the  Board  with  it  all,  just  as  foolish 
people  at  home  blame  the  government  for 
poor  crops.  That  Dr.  Lowrie  has  lived  to 

1 Signed  “ W.  G.  Gault,”  “R.  H.  Nassau.” 

2 Rev.  John  Gillespie,  D.D. 


100 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


his  age  with  this  incubus  on  him  is  little  less 
than  a miracle.  ...  You  have  taken  up  this 
work  at  a trying  time.  Great  changes  must 
be  made  in  the  near  future,  and  only  divine 
guidance  can  keep  us  short-sighted  mortals 
from  mistakes.” 

On  the  subject  of  the  proposed  transfer, 
this  letter  advocates  the  measure,  largely  on 
the  ground  that  arrest  of  educational  work 
will  in  the  end  defeat  the  very  object  of  the 
mission. 

“You  will  say,  ‘Why  not  go  on  as  you 
have  done,  without  schools,  devoting  all  your 
time  to  preaching  ? ’ Because  no  mission  can 
be  permanently  successful  in  such  a country  as 
Africa  without  education.  What  can  I do  with 
three  hundred  and  fifty  inquirers  scattered 
over  a breadth  of  fifty  and  a length  of  one 
hundred  miles  ? The  one  Ogowe  church 
must  soon  become  four.  Who  is  to  take 
charge  of  them?  If  we  go  on  organizing 
churches  without  a native  ministry,  what  can 
it  ever  amount  to?  In  Africa,  not  only  the 
vast  multitudes  to  be  reached,  but  the  deadly 
climate,  forbid  the  thought  that  white  men 


A RISING  TIDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE 


101 


can  ever  be  more  than  beginners  and  leaders 
in  giving  the  gospel  to  her  people.  ...  I 
would  not  underrate  God’s  power  or  resources, 
but  he  uses  means.  Men  who  do  not  sow 
cannot  harvest.  We  have  one  licensed 
preacher  in  the  Ogowe  field,  and  after  that 
nothing.  It  will  take  years  to  prepare  men 
who  are  needed  here,  and  this  educational 
work  cannot  be  done  in  either  English  or  the 
vernacular.” 


MISSION  SURF-BOAT. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Life  and  Solitude  on  the  Ogowe 
September  1886 — December  1887 

[OTHER  side  to  life  on  the  Ogowe  is 


suggested  by  Mr.  Good’s  letters  to  his 
absent  wife. 

“Kangwe,  Sabbath  evening,  8:30,  Septem- 
ber 5,  1886.  For  a long  time  it  has  been  a 
fixed  rule  with  me  never  to  write  a letter  on 
Sunday ; but  I do  so  many  worse  things  on 
Sabbath  than  writing  to  my  wife  that  I will 
make  her  case  an  exception.  I am  somewhat 
at  a loss  how  to  write.  If  I could  know  just 
how  you  are  feeling  I could  come  nearer  the 
mark.  If,  when  this  reaches  you,  you  are 
perfectly  happy  with  your  friends,  I don’t 
want  to  come  in  with  a clumsy  effort  at 
soothing  your  loneliness,  and  tell  you  not 
to  weep  overmuch  over  our  long  separation. 


102 


LIFE  AND  SOLITUDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE  103 

On  the  other  hand,  if  this  letter  finds  you 
crying  your  eyes  out  over  your  poor  husband 
far  away  among  cannibal  mosquitoes,  then  my 
foolishness  might  seem  like  trifling  with  your 
most  sacred  feelings.  . . . Hope  to  start  up- 
river in  two  days,  then  down,  preparing  for 
communion.  ...  If  it  were  not  for  making 
you  homesick,  I could  tell  you  how  lovely 
the  Ogowe  is  now.  The  cloudy  weather  is 
past,  and  it  is  clear,  except  a little  while  at 
noon.  Fish  is  plenty ; I have  all  the  grena- 
dillas 1 that  I ought  to  eat,  and  it  is  so  quiet. 
Don't  you  wish  you  were  here  ? . . . When  I 
get  lonely  you  will  hear  nothing  about  it. 

“ October  8.  If  the  sand-flies  allow,  I will 
write  you  a letter  this  morning,  to  go  by 
regular  Portuguese  mail.  ...  I am  anxious 

to  know  how  B [his  two-years-old  son] 

takes  in  civilization.  I fancy  he  would  like 
as  well  to  be  back  among  the  goats  and  but- 
terflies of  Africa.  He  will  not  find  the  natives 
of  America  as  obedient  to  his  commands  as 
those  here,  and  he  will  probably  be  a good 
deal  disgusted  when  grown  men  and  women 

1 Fruit  of  a passion-vine. 


104 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


refuse  to  come  at  his  call.  Tell  him  that 
Folaba  has  one  of  the  prettiest  little  kids  I 
ever  saw.  . . . 

“ There  is  a rumor  that  duties  are  to  be 
taken  off  imports  and  put  on  exports.  Unless 
they  put  a duty  on  sick  missionaries  going 
home,  this  would  be  a decided  gain  to  our 
mission ; it  would  save  much  of  this  nuisance 
of  receiving  goods.  . . . The  rains  have  just 
begun ; no  tornadoes  yet.  Bats  are  bad.  Hope 
to  get  cartridges  for  shot-gun  by  the  Angola; 
then  the  war  will  begin.  . . . 

“ Hope  next  week  to  go  out  to  Lake  Azy- 
ingo  and  down  the  small  river.  . . . The 
worst  is,  I am  becoming  demoralized  men- 
tally, and  especially  spiritually.  Trials  seem 
to  make  me  worse  and  worse.  I am  ashamed 
to  go  on  doing  my  work  with  so  little  heart 
in  it.  I feel  like  running  away ; but  to  leave 
my  work  would  only  make  me  worse,  not 
better.” 

[Specimen  experience  on  board  a river 
steamer.] 

“November.  We  were  going  around  the 
islands  at  the  entrance  of  the  OgowS,  and 


LIFE  AND  SOLITUDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE  105 

there  we  stuck  in  the  mud.  The  captain  had 
spent  his  life  running  sailing-vessels  and 
knew  nothing  of  the  management  of  a 
steamer.  Twice  we  got  off  and  twice  we  ran 
on  worse  than  before,  till  a part  of  the  cargo 
had  to  he  removed  to  the  island  near  by.  In 
short,  we  stayed  at  that  delectable  place  from 
Thursday  afternoon  till  Saturday  morning. 
Once  in  the  river,  the  captain  had  no  more  to 
do  with  the  ship  and  we  got  on  better.  I am 
glad  you  were  not  on  board.  The  captain 
was  the  queerest  old  stick,  kind  and  good- 
hearted,  but  so  wanting  in  manners.  The 
food  was  a caution.  There  was  one  course  of 
meat,  almost  always  the  same — roast  beef. 
We  were  seven  white  men,  and,  if  real  hungry, 
I could  eat  the  whole  business.  Imagine  how 
careful  we  had  to  be  to  make  it  go  around ! 
The  captain  saw  the  danger,  and  so  helped 
himself  first.  He  would  sing  out,  ‘ Come  to 
chop,’  and,  while  we  were  taking  seats,  help 
himself  to  about  one  third  of  all  the  meat, 
then  pass  it.  You  would  have  laughed  to  see 
him.  We  had  no  vegetable  but  rice,  and  once 
string-beans.  While  we  were  aground  fish 


106 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


were  plenty.  There  was,  fortunately,  bread 
and  butter  and  cheese  in  sufficiency. 

“ Tell  B I bought  him  a pet,  a young 

bushcat.  It  has  a very  sharp  nose,  body  the 
color  of  a raccoon,  tail  very  thick  at  the  base 
and  running  to  a point.” 

[Letters  from  his  wife  having  been  sent 
past  Kangwe  to  a French  trading-house  up- 
river.] 

“ December.  They  may  be  returned  in  ten 
days,  may  go  on  to  Stanley  Pool.  It  is  inter- 
esting, I tell  you.  However,  I have  not  given 
up  hearing  from  you  altogether.  If  I live  to 
a ripe  old  age,  I hope  some  of  your  letters 
will  reach  me  to  be  a comfort  in  my  declining 
years. 

“The  usual  number  of  people  are  going 
wrong,  and  an  encouraging  number  are  try- 
ing to  go  right.” 

[Referring  to  obstacles  raised  by  a French 
official.] 

“ He  has  found  a law  of  1781  (how  is  that 
for  finding  laws?)  which  gave  the  comman- 
dant authority  to  examine  the  character  of 
‘ missionaries  ’ before  allowing  them  to  labor 


LIFE  AND  SOLITUDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE  107 

in  the  colony.  I gave  him  an  account  of  all 
the  young  men,  accepted  all  his  terms,  and 
await  his  decision.  He  is  anxious  to  stop  the 
Bible-readers.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  have  so 
much  responsibility  resting  on  me.  I have 
scored  several  points  in  the  mission’s  favor ; 
but  one  cannot  see  ahead,  and  if  I blunder  it 
will  be  bad  for  all.  I have  made  up  my  mind, 
if  he  does  not  allow  the  Bible-readers  to  go 
on,  to  refuse  to  submit  to  the  law.  If  he 
brings  me  up,  I shall  claim  that  the  law  does 
not  apply.” 

[His  claim  would  be  that  the  law  read 
“missionaries,”  which  the  black  men  were 
not ; their  title  was  either  “ Bible-reader  ” or 
“ catechist.”] 

“ To-day  I have  tackled  accounts,  and 
Monday  begin  stock-taking.  [Of  mission 
goods,  which  take  the  place  of  currency  in 
Africa.]  You  know  how  I like  that.” 

[Care,  feverish  days,  isolation,  were  begin- 
ning to  tell.  No  one  in  his  house  but  black 
boys.] 

“ I am  getting  irritable  and  cross,  and  find 
it  impossible  to  deal  with  people  and  things 


108 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


equably.  Things  look  to  me  favorable  or 
unfavorable  just  according  to  the  humor  I 
happen  to  be  in,  and  I am  in  a bad  humor 
pretty  much  of  the  time. 

“ January,  1887.  I came  up  (from  mission 
meeting  at  Baraka)  by  Fernan  Yaz;  saw  a 
lot  of  new  country  and  a lot  of  people  need- 
ing the  gospel.  They  wanted  me  to  do  some- 
thing for  them,  and  I promised  to  take  a trip 
through  there.  It  means  a journey  of  three 
weeks ; don’t  see  how  I can  leave  for  so  long.” 

[Referring  to  the  possibility  of  going  to 
America  to  bring  his  wife.] 

“ In  the  present  state  of  our  mission  there 
is  no  honorable  course  for  me  but  to  stay  on 
the  old  craft  as  long  as  I possibly  can.  The 
Board,  the  church,  and  you  would  despise  me 
if  I were  to  leave  the  field  now.  If  I ever 
go  home,  I want  to  go  with  nothing  to  be 
ashamed  of. 

“ But  I will  tell  you  what  I have  done,  and 
you  will  vote  it  about  the  most  selfish  thing 
I ever  proposed.  I laid  a request  before 
mission  which  opens  the  way  for  you  to  come 
out  again  in  the  summer,  if  you  are  well 


LIFE  AND  SOLITUDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE  109 


enough  and  willing,  I to  go  to  England  for 
you.  I should  he  absent  from  Africa  nine  or 
ten  weeks.  It  would  be  a change  that  would 
enable  me  to  stay  here  two  years  longer. 
Until  I hear  from  you  I shall  not  lift  a finger. 
When  I think  of  the  comforts  and  friends 
that  surround  you,  inviting  you  out  to  this 
land  of  bush  and  mosquitoes  to  relieve  my 
loneliness  seems  unvarnished  selfishness. 

“January  26.  Ogula  is  cook  and  very 
faithful,  only  he  wants  to  cook  twice  as  many 
things  and  twice  as  much  of  each  as  I can 
eat.  It  is  the  time  of  green  corn  and  inkula 
nuts,  and  there  are  sour -sop s ; altogether,  I 
fare  sumptuously  every  day.  Evenings  at 
Kangwe  are  the  most  lonely,  when  mosqui- 
toes make  it  impossible  to  read  or  write,  and- 
I can  only  walk  the  floor  and  think.  But 
don’t  worry ; I am  not  going  to  die  of  home- 
sickness in  a hurry.  ...  To  leave  work  here 
for  personal  comfort  would  be  little  less  than 
treason.  My  health  is  provokingly  good. 

“ Holland 1 sends  me  some  beautiful  plates 

1 Chancellor  Holland,  Western  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
to  whom  Mr.  Good  sent  specimens  of  butterflies  and  moths. 


110 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


and  drawings;  says  he  has  an  article  in  the 
printer’s  hands  describing  three  new  species 
and  three  hitherto  undiscovered  females.  I 
am  still  finding  a few  new  things. 

“ February.  One  good  sign  is  the  number 
of  books  sold.  I sell  Scriptures  almost  every 
day,  often  to  strangers.  Sometimes  men 
from  down-river  bringing  food  will  buy  two 
or  three  books  at  a time,  evidently  for  other 
people.  There  must  be  from  one  to  two  hun- 
dred people  learning  to  read  on  this  river 
now. 

“ April.  Last  month  took  a trip  of  eight 
days  down-river  to  Lake  Avanga,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Ogowe — a narrow  lake  run- 
ning inland  ten  miles  and  containing  ten  or 
twelve  towns  of  Nkamis,  Akeles,  and  Fang. 
I was  the  first  missionary  who  ever  visited 
them.  Came  home  by  way  of  the  small  river. 
In  all  parts  of  our  field  I found  a fairly  en- 
couraging state  of  affairs. 

“ In  one  respect  this  was  the  worst  trip  I 
ever  made.  I thought  I knew  about  mosqui- 
toes before,  but  all  I have  ever  seen  is  nothing 
to  that  trip.  At  Asyuka,  where  I slept  two 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

I IDRAWA 
•jriLni'.n 


LONGWE,  A CHARACTERISTIC  OGOWE  TOWN. 


LIFE  AND  SOLITUDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE  111 

nights,  after  dark  it  was  impossible  to  sit. 
I left  my  supper  half  eaten  and  fled  to  the 
street,  where  I walked  till  bedtime.  The 
thickest  clothes  seemed  no  protection.  If  I 
sat  down  for  a moment  near  a lamp,  literally 
hundreds  would  be  biting  me.  When  I 
stirred  them  up,  it  was  not  mosquitoes  I saw, 
but  a swarm  like  bees.  One  night  at  Longwe 
they  got  into  my  net.  I fought  them  till  I 
was  tired,  then  fell  asleep  and  let  them  go 
ahead.  If  I did  not  find  two  hundred  mos- 
quitoes full  of  blood  in  that  net,  then  I can- 
not guess.  Even  by  day,  if  I walked  in  the 
bush  and  stopped  a moment,  my  legs  would 
be  covered.  The  people  say  the  great  quan- 
tity of  obbos  that  have  gone  to  waste  in  the 
bush  this  year  is  the  cause  of  their  numerous- 
ness. 

“ The  big  question  now  is,  what  to  do  with 
these  crowded  communions.  The  strain  on 
the  nerves  of  having  all  these  people  about 
is  something  fearful.  They  are  quiet  and 
orderly,  but  there  is  danger  of  abuses  grow- 
ing out  of  such  gatherings.  I must  divide 
and  hold  communions  in  different  districts. 


112 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


But  there  are  no  buildings,  and  it  would 
mean  long  absences  from  Kangwe,  and  here 
is  a school  requiring  constant  oversight.  I 
don’t  know  what  to  do  with  it  all.  I feel  like 
running  away  and  getting  from  under  the 
responsibility.  The  very  success  of  the  work 
makes  me  feel  utterly  insufficient.  But 
enough  of  whining. 

“ Am  sorry  B does  not  want  to  come 

back  and  live  with  ‘ black  people.’  We  could 
catch  butterflies,  and  shoot  squirrels  and  big 
birds,  and  go  in  the  boat.  In  going  about 
from  place  to  place,  you  will  need  to  be  care- 
ful, not  so  much  of  his  health  as  of  his  man- 
ners. People  often  act  as  if  spoiling  children 
were  a virtue.  I say  this,  not  that  you  do 
not  know  it,  but  to  show  you  that  I realize 
the  difficulties  of  your  position. 

“May.  We  get,  on  an  average,  one  mail 
a month.  I have  waited  a week  now  for 
American  mail.  I give  it  up,  and  start  to- 
morrow for  a trip  to  the  lakes.  I don’t  feel 
like  writing.  Things  are  just  as  they  were 
when  I wrote  last.  The  water  of  the  OgowS 
is  still  flowing.  I suppose  each  day  it  is  new 


LIFE  AND  SOLITUDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE  113 


water  that  passes,  hut  it  looks  much  like  the 
same  old  water ; and  so  of  everything  else. 

“ Later.  This  morning  was  dull  and  heavy, 
the  beginning  of  dry  season,  and  I felt  in 
sympathy.  This  afternoon  the  sun  has  come 
out,  I have  bought  a nice  piece  of  fresh 
hippopotamus  meat,  caught  a new  species  of 
butterfly,  and  feel  in  better  humor. 

“ Should  you  decide  to  meet  me  in  England, 
I will  leave  to  you  the  business  of  laying  in 
a stock  of  provisions.  You  can  choose  better 
than  I.  G-et  the  best  American  provisions 
going.  We  are  nearly  out  of  everything.  In 
a month  or  two  I shall  have  nothing  but  fresh 
herring  two  years  old.  My  meals  take  from 
three  to  five  minutes.” 

[Having  heard  that  Mrs.  Good  will  come 
to  England  in  August,  he  arranges  for  the 
meeting.] 

“May  24.  . . . Now  those  are  my  plans, 
and  (D.  V.)  I will  carry  them  out  to  the  letter, 
so  you  may  know  what  to  depend  upon. 

“Another  matter  has  been  a subject  of 
much  meditation  and  anxiety,  and  I now  sub- 
mit it  to  you  for  decision.  I shall  act  on 


114 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


your  advice  if  I get  it  in  time.  After  you 
left  I was  very  careless  of  my  personal  ap- 
pearance, and  neglected  to  shave.  As  the 
result,  the  hair  has  grown  all  over  my  face 
until  I do  not  believe  my  own  wife  would 
know  me.  What  is  to  be  done  with  that 
beard?  It  is  a great  convenience  in  my 
bachelor  life,  as  it  completely  conceals  the 
fact  that  I have  on  neither  collar  nor  necktie ; 
but  of  course  when  you  come  back  such  un- 
worthy subterfuges  must  be  given  up.  What 
— shall  I do — with — this — beard?  Write — 
telegraph ! 

“The  music  came  all  right,  and  will  be 
enjoyed  when  you  get  back;  but  I feel  too 
much  like  the  Jews  beside  the  waters  of 
Babylon  to  care  for  music  now. 

“June.  Last  week  enrolled  thirty-two  in- 
quirers in  Wambalia  alone.  In  far-off  Lake 
Ogemwe,  where  I have  been  only  once,  and 
that  nearly  two  years  ago  and  found  the 
people  in  blankest  ignorance  of  everything 
spiritual  I am  told  many  want  to  become 
Christians,  through  the  influence  only  of 
Christians  who  have  at  different  times  visited 


LIFE  AND  SOLITUDE  ON  THE  OGOIVE  115 

in  the  towns.  I shall  strain  a point  to  visit 
them  before  communion.  . . . 

“ You  could  never  guess  what  I have  gone 
through  to-day  and  how  exhausted  I am  after 
it.  Actually,  I cleaned  house ! Let  me  tell 
you  how  I did  it.  I took  my  writing-table 
into  my  bedroom,  shut  myself  in,  called  the 
boys,  and  told  them  to  take  everything  out 
of  the  parlor,  clean,  and  put  back  again. 
Twice  during  the  afternoon  I looked  in  to  see 
that  they  were  working,  and  really,  now  it  is 
over,  I am  not  as  fatigued  as  I thought  I 
should  be,  and  the  room  looks  well,  too ; only 
it  will  take  a week  or  so  to  find  where  any- 
thing is.  . . . When  at  last  (if  I am  spared) 
I get  aboard  ship  and  her  head  sets  north,  I 
shall  give  myself  up  to  the  anticipation  of 
our  meeting.  Till  then  may  Glod  keep  us, 
and  may  we  meet  to  part  no  more.” 

By  instructions  from  the  Board,  Mr.  Good 
went  to  Paris  in  September  and  held  an  inter- 
view with  officers  of  the  Protestant  mission- 
ary society.  The  result  was  a promise  from 
them  to  send  three  teachers  to  the  mission  as 


116 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


soon  as  possible,  and  also  commissioners  to 
look  over  the  Ogowe  field  with  a view  to  pos- 
sible acceptance  of  it  in  the  future. 

In  this  interview  the  question  of  wine- 
drinking was  one  of  the  most  delicate  to  be 
introduced.  “We  missionaries  are  all  as  a 
matter  of  course  teetotalers.  It  was  with 
fear  and  trembling  that  I suggested  the 
matter.  . . . They  admitted  that  the  drink 
sold  to  the  natives  would  ruin  them,  and  that, 
as  Christians,  we  were  right  in  abstaining  for 
the  sake  of  weak  brethren,  and  they  promised 
that  the  teachers  employed  should  have  the 
matter  laid  on  their  consciences.” 

After  an  absence  of  three  months  and 
twelve  days,  Mr.  Good  was  again  at  his  post 
in  the  mission,  and  his  report  for  the  year 
begins  with  expression  of  thankfulness  for 
the  health  and  safe  return  of  his  family,  and, 
“above  and  better  than  all  else,  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  been  with  us  and  wrought  a great 
work.  The  church  has  doubled  numerically, 
and,  I think,  has  fully  doubled  its  strength.” 


CHAPTEB  YII 

Events  in  Eapid  Evolution 
1888 — October,  1890 

SUCH  relations  were  now  established  be- 
tween the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  in 
New  York  and  the  Societe  des  Missions  Evan- 
geliques  that  in  the  spring  of  1888  four  men 
were  sent  from  Paris  to  the  Gaboon  Mission 
in  the  capacity  of  teachers  and  mechanics. 
These  were  intended  as  forerunners  of  or- 
dained men  who  should  ultimately  carry  the 
gospel  where  French  explorers  had  gone  on 
the  Upper  Ogowe.  The  colonial  authorities 
were  gratified  by  their  arrival,  and  at  Kang- 
we  they  were  joyfully  received.  One  of  these 
French  teachers  soon  had  a school  of  sixty 
boys ; another  was  able  to  take  charge  of  the 
station  in  Mr.  Good’s  constant  absences  among 
the  towns.  “ So,”  he  wrote,  “ if  God  gives 

117 


118 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


me  and  my  family  health  to  hold  on  till  these 
men  get  the  work  in  hand,  and  expected  re- 
cruits be  sent  from  Paris  and  also  get  the 
language,  that  for  which  I have  been  work- 
ing nearly  five  years  will  have  been  accom- 
plished. What  I shall  do  after  that,  or  what 
will  be  done  with  me,  does  not  trouble  me, 
and  I have  given  the  matter  little  thought. 
For  the  present  my  work  is  here,  to  guide 
this  flock  and  gradually  accustom  them  to 
their  new  shepherds,  so  that  they  may  follow 
them  and  not  be  scattered  when  they  hear 
their  strange  voice. 

“ A few  weeks  ago  I received  a call  from 
Herr  Kundt,  who  has  lately  been  exploring 
back  of  Kameruns.  Five  or  six  days  from 
Batanga  he  passed  the  mountains  and  found 
himself  on  a high,  grass-covered  table-land 
twenty  to  twenty-five  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea,  apparently  healthy  and  densely  peopled 
by,  as  he  thought,  branches  of  the  Fang 
nation.  Here,  it  struck  me,  is  our  field.  We 
could  make  Batanga  our  base  and  reach  this 
interior  table-land.  But  would  Germany 
allow  us  to  work  there  untrammeled  ? If  we 


EVENTS  IN  RAPID  EVOLUTION 


119 


were  to  promise  to  teach  German  at  Batanga, 
is  it  possible  that  restrictions  would  be  laid  on 
what  we  might  undertake  in  the  interior  ! If 
we  are  to  be  prevented  from  entering  such  open 
doors,  I shall  feel  that  the  Christian  nations 
ha  vebecomethe  worst  enemiesofChristianity.” 

Here,  though  he  did  not  know  it,  was  struck 
the  key-note  of  a new  departure  which  was  to 
cost  him  toil  and  sacrifice,  yea,  his  own  life 
also,  while  across  his  grave  an  outpost  of 
Christianity  would  be  planted  one  step  for- 
ward towards  the  heart  of  Africa. 

Of  the  years  of  the  Great  Awakening  in 
the  Ogowe,  1888  was  signally  reaping-time. 
Ninety-four  persons  were  promoted  from  in- 
quiry class  into  the  church,  and  about  four 
hundred  were  under  instruction  for  baptism. 
No  one  knew  so  well  as  the  missionary,  who 
went  himself  in  and  out  of  their  forest-hidden 
villages,  in  what  wicked  surroundings  these 
Christians  lived.  “My  wonder  is  that  any 
stand.”  But  even  in  his  conservative  judg- 
ment, they  stood  the  test.  “A  change  has 
taken  place  in  hearts,  and  is  taking  place  in 
communities,  which  is  nothing  less  than  a 


120 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


miracle.  Where  this  work  has  been  firmly 
rooted  the  people  are  slowly  and  painfully 
struggling  up  to  a better  life.  The  field  is 
dead  ripe.” 

The  last  of  Kangwe  mass-communions  was 
held  in  March.  The  hundred-miles-long 
parish  was  then  divided  into  three  sections, 
and  in  J une  there  were  three  session  meetings 
instead  of  one,  three  sets  of  inquirers  in- 
structed instead  of  one,  and  the  missionary 
held  communion  successively  at  Kangw§, 
twenty  miles  below  at  Wambalia,  and  at 
Igenja,  fifty  miles  down-river.  Now  those 
who  had  never  been  to  KangwS  saw  the 
Lord’s  Table,  for  the  first  time  in  history, 
spread  in  their  wilderness.  The  white  cloth 
and  silver  were  brought  in  the  boat,  carefully 
wrapped ; and  from  the  decorum  of  that  Table 
and  the  reverence  which  surrounded  the  sa- 
cred emblems  there  went  forth  an  influence 
solemn  and  wholesome  into  the  lawless  bush. 
The  people  of  Wambalia  and  Igenja  began 
building  chapels  with  their  own  hands,  and 
the  next  step  would  be  organization  of 
churches  in  these  towns. 


EVENTS  IN  RAPID  EVOLUTION 


121 


The  three  years’  revival  was  not  followed 
by  sudden  coldness.  Steady  accessions  of 
believers  continued  through  the  fourth  year. 
At  the  end  of  1889  there  had  been  “ almost 
no  cases  of  deliberately  going  back  to  the 
world  ” ; while  “ a good  many  had  fallen  into 
sin,”  repentance  was  hopeful  of  “ all  but  one 
or  two.”  Could  more  be  reasonably  expected 
of  Africans  at  this  stage  of  recovery  from 
wild  heathenism  ? 

Visitation  of  his  flock  required  the  mission- 
ary’s absence  from  home  half  the  time,  yet 
six  weeks  of  the  summer  (1889)  were  con- 
sumed in  a tour  on  the  sea  coast,  acting  on  a 
visiting  committee  for  the  mission,  toBatanga 
and  to  inspect  several  fields  in  charge  of  Afri- 
can helpers.  The  report  of  this  tour  is  char- 
acteristically thorough  and  clear. 

At  Bata : “ As  communion  had  been  held, 
I confined  myself  to  an  examination  of  the 
condition  of  the  church.  Called  session  to- 
gether and  went  over  with  them  the  roll  of 
members.”  There  follows  in  detail  the  num- 
ber in  “good  standing,”  men  and  women 
separately  counted,  those  “ suspended,” 


122 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


“ awaiting  discipline,”  “ excommunicated,” 
deaths,  dismissals,  and  inquirers.  The 
chapel  is  reported  on ; its  capacity,  “ boards 
of  the  floors  hewed  from  trees  in  the  forest.” 
The  fact  is  noted  that  it  was  built  by  Bata 
people  themselves,  who,  now  that  it  is  too 
small,  propose  to  rebuild.  “ All  these  north- 
ern churches  have  shown  a good  deal  of  pluck 
in  building  for  themselves,  but  I find  that 
material  and  work  are  given  mostly  by  a 
few.  Collections  are  taken  up  only  once  in 
three  months.  I urged  monthly  collections, 
and  tried  to  show  them  that  if  all  would  help 
they  could  not  only  build  a church  of  which 
they  might  be  proud,  but  afterwards  could 

easily  contribute ’s  salary,  and  he  could 

then  be  made  their  pastor.”  The  Sabbath 
audience  and  Sunday-school  pass  under 
analysis.  The  latter  “ left  a great  deal  to  be 
desired ; singing  all  through  was  poor.”  Lack 
of  a Bible-reader  is  commented  upon,  as  well 
as  the  eldership,  on  both  the  spiritual  and 
material  sides.  Of  one,  “ He  is  the  ablest  man 
I met  on  the  coast,”  and  his  occupation  and 
social  standing  are  defined.  Exact  location 


EVENTS  IN  RAPID  EVOLUTION 


123 


of  the  church,  its  environment  and  reach, 
are  discussed  and  the  summing  up  is  made : 
“ Remember  how  little  has  been  done.  This 
half-educated  man  and  a [missionary’s]  visit 
once,  or  at  most  twice,  a year  to  hold  com- 
munion. When  one  considers  the  success, 
he  cannot  help  asking,  If  there  were  a man 
here  to  speak  the  language  fluently,  full  of 
fire  and  activity,  what  hinders  that  thousands 
might  be  converted  in  a year  ? ” Reviewing 
the  condition  of  other  churches,  the  same 
thought  is  uppermost.  “ I cannot  help  the 
feeling  that  only  faithful  work  is  needed  to 
win  the  whole  country  to  Christ.” 

But  this  is  no  one-sided  reporter  who  sees 
only  what  he  has  gone  to  see.  A disorderly 
session  is  faithfully  described : “ They  would 
get  into  angry  dispute  about  nothing ; 
would  all  talk  at  once;  I had  to  reprove 
them  sharply.”  The  offenses  of  suspended 
members  are  enumerated  in  no  euphemistic 
terms : “ Several  for  adultery,  two  for  keep- 
ing slaves,  a few  for  trading  in  rum,  whipping 
their  wives,  or  fighting,  two  for  taking  doAvry 
for  daughters.  The  fact  that  the  last  is  re- 


124 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


garded  an  offense  by  the  church  indicates  a 
tremendous  advance.” 

Characteristics  of  people  in  different  local- 
ities are  discriminated.  At  one  place  “ they 
are  proud  and  difficult  to  manage;  on  the 
other  hand,  they  are  energetic  and  aggressive.” 
At  Batanga  Mr.  Good  saw  the  explorer 
Knndt  again,  and  learned  all  he  could  of  the 
interior  table-land. 

“If  we  were  only  ready  to  send  some  one 
in  to  look  over  that  country  and  get  the  lan- 
guage! But  of  course  the  first  step  is  to 
occupy  Batanga.  By  that  time  a road  doubt- 
less will  have  been  cut  through  the  coast 
forest  belt ; then,  at  least,  we  ought  to  follow 
and  give  the  gospel  to  those  multitudes.  . . . 
Until  I must  return  to  America,  my  work  is 
cut  out  for  me  in  the  Ogowe.  In  all  I have 
said  I have  no  wish  to  suggest  myself  for  any 
part  of  that  work ; but  this  field  has  kindled 
my  enthusiasm,  and  I long  to  see  it  occupied 
by  men  who  will  make  it  a success.” 

Among  those  whose  names  are  associated 
by  all  the  world  with  Africa,  Bishop  Hanning- 


EVENTS  IN  RAPID  EVOLUTION 


125 


ton  is  the  man  whom  our  missionary  most 
resembled.  Very  unlike  Hannington  in  the 
circumstance  of  birth  into  a home  of  elegance 
and  wealth ; inferior  to  Hannington  in  social 
training,  in  ardor  and  expression  of  spiritual 
life ; his  superior  in  early  intelligent  dedica- 
tion to  God ; ecclesiastically  at  opposite  poles 
— there  was  between  the  two  men  a marked 
likeness  of  natural  gifts  and  traits.  Had  they 
met  they  must  have  been  congenial  friends. 
When  the  American  boy  was  on  his  second 
term  at  Glade  Run  Academy,  the  English 
curate,  nine  years  his  senior,  went  to  his  first 
missionary  meeting,  and  “ was  made  to  speak, 
much  against  my  will,  as  I know  nothing 
about  the  subject  and.  take  little  interest  in 
it.”  Both  went  to  Africa  in  1882. 

Taking  up  a sketch 1 of  the  bishop’s  life, 
sentences  here  and  there  are  accurately  ap- 
propriate to  our  young  American.  Of  Han- 
nington’s  characteristics,  so  of  Adolphus 
Good:  “Love  for  his  mother,  fondness  for 
nature,  great  courage  for  exploits.” 

1 Abridged  from  Dawson's  “Life  of  Bishop  Hannington,” 
published  at  150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 


126 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


“ A born  naturalist.” 

“Enjoyed  nothing  so  much  as  telling  a 
ludicrous  story  against  himself.” 

At  college : “ There  was  an  indefinable 
charm  about  this  bright,  queer,  passionate, 
fun-loving,  unconquerable  undergraduate, . . . 
a strong  undercurrent  of  genuine  kindliness 
and  genial  love  for  mankind.” 

“Contempt  for  canting  protestations  of 
superior  piety.” 

Of  going  to  Africa:  “His  home  church 
sought  to  dissuade  him,  saying  that  his  suc- 
cess showed  he  could  serve  Ood  as  well  in  an 
English  [American]  parish  as  in  a heathen 
country.” 

In  African  travel : He  might  “ suffer  in- 
tolerably and  yet  be  the  life  of  the  party, 
never  permitting  his  companions’  spirits  to 
flag.  They  testify  that  he  was  full  of  thought- 
ful acts  and  gave  them  the  best  and  easiest 
places.  . . . When  food  failed  and  they  could 
not  buy  and  would  have  starved,  his  tact 
succeeded.” 

In  estimate  of  Africans:  “I  agree  with 
Livingstone  that  they  are  capable  of  high 


EVENTS  IN  RAPID  EVOLUTION 


127 


culture  and  compare  favorably  with  the  early 
history  of  civilized  nations.” 

James  Hannington  once  traveling  on  a 
Rhine  boat  which  took  fire,  his  journey  was 
delayed,  and  the  pilot  advised  him  that  he 
would  not  be  able  to  keep  his  appointment 
at  Cologne.  “ I have  undertaken  to  be  there  ” 
was  the  answer,  and  there  he  was  on  the  day 
appointed.  So  sacredly  regarded  were  Adol- 
phus Good’s  appointments,  so  scrupulously 
kept,  often  in  the  face  of  extraordinary  ob- 
stacles. But  there  was  one  masterful  element 
which  even  his  indomitable  will  and  perse- 
verance could  not  control.  It  was  the  force 
that  conquers  every  white  man  in  Equatorial 
Africa.  “ Our  society,”  said  the  agent  of  the 
Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society  in  New 
York,  “ does  not  wish  to  receive  an  application 
from  a missionary  to  the  West  Coast  of 
Africa.” 

From  his  inspecting  tour  Mr.  Good  returned 
to  the  Ogowe  with  the  expressed  purpose  not 
to  take  a furlough  to  America  before  the  end 
of  1890.  Two  ordained  French  missionaries 1 

1 Rev.  Messrs.  Allegret  and  Teisser&s. 


128 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


had  arrived  in  his  absence,  and  were  at  once 
invited  to  accompany  him  on  his  journeys. 
Into  the  midst  of  these  activities — traveling, 
preaching,  introducing  the  strangers  to  Afri- 
can life,  speaking  constantly  in  Mpongwe, 
Fang,  French  (to  which  he  had  been  quietly 
applying  himself) — suddenly  that  subtle,  un- 
conquerable African  force  laid  its  finger  upon 
him.  For  the  third  time  he  was  prostrated 
with  hematuric  fever.  The  ninth  day  he  was 
carried  on  a folding  cot  to  a steam  launch 
owned  by  a trading-house  and  hurried  down- 
river, and,  as  soon  as  harrowing  delays  per- 
mitted, after  hanging  between  life  and  death, 
out  to  sea,  bound  for  America.  With  the 
first  breath  of  the  Atlantic  he  opened  his 
eyes ; but  even  after  reaching  Liverpool  there 
was  yet  a sharp  conflict  before  he  came  off 
victor  over  his  enemy. 

Mr.  Glood  landed  with  his  family  in  New 
York,  September  20,  and  having  made  his 
salutations  at  the  Mission  House,  his  secretary 
well  remembers  the  characteristic  gesture 
with  which  he  exclaimed : “Now,  the  voyage 
has  straightened  me  out ; give  me  something 


EVENTS  "JN  RAPID  EVOLUTION  129 

to  do,  or  I shall  die.”  The  ninth  day  after, 
he  was  giving  a missionary  talk  at  Pittsburg. 

In  his  native  air  the  sallow  African  color 
yielded  at  last,  and  he  rapidly  recovered  the 
splendid  health  which  was  natural  to  him. 
His  finely  knit  figure,  manly  bearing,  clear 
eye,  powerful  voice,  alert  activity,  simplicity 
of  purpose,  devotion  to  Africa,  made  a power- 
ful impression  upon  the  audiences  which  he 
addressed  from  New  York  to  Nebraska.  He 
was  equally  adaptable  Sunday  morning  in 
the  pulpit  of  a wealthy  city  church,  or  in  the 
little  hamlet  of  his  boyhood  where  he  held 
gospel  services  ten  days  consecutively,  the 
whole  countryside  turning  out  to  hear  him. 

His  address  before  the  students  of  Prince- 
ton Seminary  was  pronounced  by  one 1 who 
rose  up,  left  all,  and  went  with  him  to  Africa, 
“ the  most  powerful  missionary  appeal  I ever 
heard.”  A pastor  says : “ Older  people  who 
heard  him  thought  once  more  of  the  eloquent 
Duff.”  His  speech  from  the  platform  of  the 
mass-meeting  held  in  connection  with  General 
Assembly  was  referred  to  six  years  after  in 


1 Rev.  W.  S.  Bannerman. 


130 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


the  same  hall  at  Saratoga.  Said  the  Moder- 
ator of  that  year 1 : “ The  impression  of  that 
young  man,  his  face  bronzed  by  a tropical 
sun,  his  burning  words  in  behalf  of  Africa, 
the  audience  carried  away  by  his  enthusiasm, 
will  never  be  effaced  from  memory.” 

The  missionary  himself  would  sometimes 
have  preferred  his  boat  on  the  Ogowe  to  a 
public  appearance.  “Was  urged  to  bring 
‘ me  grip  ’ and  spend  the  Sabbath,”  he  wrote 
his  wife.  “ Hate  to  do  it,  for  I fear  it  is  a 
stylish  place.  . . . Am  getting  awfully  tired 
of  this  public  speaking;  long  to  go  home  to 
wife  and  baby.”  At  the  same  time,  the  so- 
ciety of  his  peers,  in  exchange  for  a black 
crew  with  their  poverty  of  thought,  was  a 
mighty  refreshment.  He  was  absorbing  in- 
formation on  every  hand : examining  modern 
boats  and  asking  “innumerable  questions” 
with  reference  to  their  use  on  African  rivers ; 
with  the  aid  of  a dictionary  and  a German 
friend  reading  two  volumes  of  travel  by 
Kundt,  whom  he  had  met  in  Africa;  and, 
most  satisfactory  of  all  to  himself,  aiding  the 

1 Rev.  Russell  Booth,  D.D.,  1895. 


EVENTS  IN  RAPID  EVOLUTION 


131 


Board  to  secure  three  new  men  specially 
adapted  to  the  conditions  of  the  mission. 

That  year  Washington  and  Jefferson  Col- 
lege conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Ph.D. 
“ I do  not  deserve  it,”  was  his  comment. 

Dr.  Good’s  mother  died  suddenly  during 
his  furlough.  Thus  it  was,  in  the  divine 
ordering  of  events,  that,  of  all  her  sons,  the 
one  she  gave  to  Africa  called  the  physician 
for  her  in  her  last  hours  and  stood  by  her 
dying  pillow.  “ This  is  the  cutting  off  of  one 
of  the  last  ties,”  he  wrote,  “ that  bind  me  to 
native  land.” 

After  eleven  months  in  America,  Dr.  Good 
sailed  for  Africa  the  second  time.  Seven 
years  before  he  had  embarked  solitary.  In 
1890  the  largest 1 force  for  Africa,  within  the 
memory  of  the  oldest  Presbyterian,  set  forth 
together.  It  was  a glad  day.  Tried  mis- 
sionaries were  returning  to  their  posts  rein- 
forced by  the  beautiful  strength  and  promise 
of  three  young  missionaries  and  their  wives. 
“ But  when  we  are  all  located,  our  stations 

1 From  Liverpool,  they  numbered  twelve  adults  and  two 
children. 


132 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


will  be  only  half  manned.  At  least  one  will 
have  to  be  manned  with  women  alone.” 

One  of  the  new  couples,1  of  French- Swiss 
family,  had  been  selected  with  special  refer- 
ence to  the  Ogowe,  and  no  time  was  lost  in 
conducting  them  to  Kangwe.  A common  in- 
cident of  steam  travel  in  those  parts,  the 
captain’s  drunken  condition,  created  unneces- 
sary risks  on  the  voyage  between  Gaboon 
and  Kangwe.  Dr.  Good  stood  guard. 

“ The  tide  drifted  him  towards  the  hospital 
ship,  and  he  failed  to  see  it;  when  he  did 
signal  to  the  engineer,  the  latter  was  not  in 
condition  to  notice  it  (drink  again),  and  the 
captain  rushed  below  and  got  the  engines 
started  barely  in  time  to  prevent  a collision. 
Then  we  had  to  run  close  round  a sandy 
cape ; but  as  it  was  bright  moonlight,  a child 
ought  to  have  been  able  to  do  it.  But  our 
captain  was  very  full  and  could  not  see  the 
sand  bank.  We  were  within  three  ships’ 

1 Key.  and  Mrs.  Herman  Jacot,  “our  co-laborers,”  wrote 
Dr.  Good,  “and  a couple  better  fitted  in  both  head  and 
heart  for  this  work  it  would  be  hard  to  find.”  Mr.  Jacot 
died  at  Kangwe,  October  29,  1895.  A Christian  gentleman 
and  consecrated  missionary. 


EVENTS  IN  RAPID  EVOLUTION  133 

length  and  running  full  speed  into  it,  and  the 
captain  was  standing  at  the  wheel  airily  talk- 
ing about  how  he  would  round  the  point 
when  he  reached  it.  I said,  ‘Captain,  you 
are  running  ashore,’  and  just  then  we  struck, 
fortunately  in  a bed  of  sand  inside  the  point. 
Had  we  struck  outside,  the  steamship  Eloby 
would  hav.e  been  pounded  to  pieces  before 
morning  by  the  heavy  swells.  I did  not  re- 
tire till  I saw  the  captain  safely  asleep  and 
the  ship  in  the  hands  of  the  mate  and  point- 
ing well  out  from  land.” 

News  of  the  missionaries’  return  had  run  in 
advance,  in  the  mysterious  African  way,  and 
as  soon  as  the  Eloby  reached  the  first  village 
where  Christians  were  living,  groups  were 
descried  from  her  deck,  standing  on  the  beach 
and  gazing  inquiringly  towards  the  passengers. 
The  ladies’  dresses,  and  especially  the  small 
white  boy,  settled  all  doubts.  Then  began 
a pantomime  on  shore  which  became  more 
steadily  continuous  as  villages  thickened  and 
progress  was  nearer  and  nearer  towards 
Kangwe.  The  noise  of  the  steamer’s  machi- 
nery drowned  the  shouts  along  the  river  bank; 


134 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


but  plainly  there  was  shouting  as  black  forms 
moved  and  postured,  pointing,  beckoning, 
dancing,  running  to  call  an  absent  one,  toss- 
ing hats  and  arms  in  the  air.  And  so,  with 
miles  long  of  joyous,  childlike  welcome,  they 
reached  Kangwe  landing,  past  midnight  of 
October  27. 

“ I wish,”  wrote  Dr.  G-ood,  “ that  some  of 
the  croakers  who  do  not  believe  the  African 
can  appreciate  what  is  done  for  him  could 
have  been  with  us  on  that  steamer  and  heard 
the  chorus  of  voices  shouting,  as  we  landed, 
‘ Akeva  Any  ambit!  Aleeva  Anyambie! ’ 
(‘  Thanks  be  to  God ! Thanks  to  God ! ’)  I 
have  not  heard  a prayer  since  my  return 
that  was  not  full  of  thanksgiving  to  God  for 
permitting  us  to  come  back.  When  we  left 
so  suddenly,  they  confess  they  were  cast 
down,  and  their  discouragement  was  increased 
by  reports,  circulated  by  the  Roman  Catholics, 
that  1 had  died,  and,  when  that  was  disproved, 
that  I would  not  return.  I believe  we  are  on 
the  eve  of  better  days  than  ever  befoi-e.” 


THE  OGOWE  RIVER  AT  KANGWE. 


THE  MISSION  HOUSE  ON  KANGWE  HILL. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

1 IDDAMA 
4 *Jru  .n 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Another  Stage  at  KangwE 
November  1890 — 1891 

A VIGOROUS  inspection  of  his  great 
parish  was  inaugurated  at  once  after 
Dr.  Good’s  return  to  Africa,  and  his  unvar- 
nished reports  went  home  to  America. 

“The  state  of  the  work  is  a good  deal 
mixed ; some  sad  falls ; inquirers  grown  care- 
less. No  denying  the  fact  that  in  general 
Christians  have  decidedly  cooled  off,  espe- 
cially in  out-of-the-way  places.  At  Nganda : 
Talked  to  a small  audience  who  manifested 
small  interest.  At  Olamba:  A large  com- 
pany of  Christians  welcomed  us.  The  gospel 
has  in  fact  prevailed ; the  town  seems  com- 
pletely transformed.  At  Ajumba : Found  old 
Afangananga  a mere  skeleton,  evidently  near 
death.  He  and  his  people  have  exhausted  all 

135 


136  A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 

their  superstitions  to  work  a cure,  but  have 
given  it  up  as  hopeless.  Now,  Afangananga 
seems  disposed  to  look  to  God  in  his  extrem- 
ity, and  who  knows  but  he  may  be  accepted 
even  yet  ? At  Longwe : Nearly  all  the  women 
who  were  enrolled  as  inquirers  have  been 
guilty  of  adultery.  The  falling  away  of  so 
many  can  only  show  that  the  work  there  was 
very  superficial.  Was  glad  to  get  away  from 
the  place,  even  though  it  was  to  enter  the 
blank  heathenism  of  the  lower  river. 

“ In  two  Syeki  towns,  people  listened  well ; 
in  a third,  listened  intently.  At  Nenge,  peo- 
ple saw  my  helmet  and  ran  into  the  bush, 
having  heard  a rumor  that  M.  de  Brazza  was 
seizing  men  to  serve  as  soldiers.  Almost  im- 
possible to  gain  their  confidence ; and  this  is 
where,  on  a former  journey,  I supposed  I 
made  so  favorable  an  impression.  At  En- 
yonga,  hundreds  of  people  believe  in  the 
gospel,  but  they  are  depending  upon  some 
sinful  course  for  their  living  and  are  not 
ready  to  sacrifice  all  for  Christ.  Mbora  was 
stationed  here  in  1889.  It  has  been  trying 
for  him,  fighting  heathenism  single-handed. 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KANGIVE 


137 


As  a music  teacher  he  is  not  a success.  I 
started  a tune  which  they  were  said  to  know, 
but  no  two  sung  the  same  tune.  Result 
something  fearful;  but  the  audience  seemed 
to  enjoy  it.  Spent  the  night  at  Ngumbi; 
intensely  interesting  service;  people  seemed 
impressed  with  the  folly  of  their  superstition. 
On  the  whole,  encouraging  and  discouraging 
features  are  about  equally  divided.” 

Ten  were  baptized  at  the  first  communion. 
Given,  mere  babes  in  Christian  knowledge; 
added,  the  African  temperament ; leave  them 
unshepherded  for  a twelvemonth  in  their 
native  villages,  and  who  could  look  for  better 
results!  However,  the  chief  cause  of  de- 
clension was  not  mere  neglect,  but  a revival 
in  the  ivory  and  rubber  trade.  Prices  trebled 
in  Europe,  wages — to  traders,  canoe-boys, 
house-boys — went  up  on  the  Ogowe,  and 
there  was  a rush  to  its  upper  sources.  The 
best  Christian  young  men  were  first  to  go. 
Their  families  left  behind,  with  the  prospect 
of  a year’s  separation,  beyond  reach  of  the 
Sabbath  or  Christian  influence,  surrounded 
by  drunkenness,  many  were  swept  away  by 


138 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


temptation.  “ I long  for  the  day,”  wrote  Dr. 
Grood,  “when  this  wretched  trade  will  he  a 
thing  of  the  past.  Then  these  people  will 
stay  at  home  and  till  the  soil,  and  the  great- 
est hindrance  to  Christianity  be  removed.” 
One  incident1  of  the  autumn  visitation 
must  be  given  with  somewhat  of  fullness. 

“ After  having  preached  in  five  villages  in 
the  course  of  the  day  we  came,  about  sun- 
down, November  20,  to  a large  town  called 
Nengawaga,  sixty  miles  perhaps  from  Kang- 
we.  The  people  on  this  part  of  the  river  be- 
long to  the  Orungu  tribe,  who  occupy  the 
region  about  the  mouth  of  the  Ogowe  and  to 
the  north.  When  I stopped  at  this  village  in 
February,  1889,  I was  the  first  white  man 
to  come  after  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese, 
who  had  visited  all  this  region  in  quest  of 
slaves.  I preached  here  then,  and  Mbora  has 
visited  and  preached  at  this  village  two  or 
three  times  since.  This  is  all  they  had  heard 
of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

“ The  old  chief,  Mbiti,  received  me  cordially, 

1 Printed  in  The  Church  at  Home  and  Abroad,  June,  1891. 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KANG  IV E 


139 


and  at  once  installed  me  in  his  fine  large 
house,  which  stood  at  the  head  of  the  main 
street  of  the  village.  I noticed  that  he  was 
staying  in  a much  poorer  house  a little  on 
one  side,  and  I said,  ‘ Why  do  you  give  me 
the  whole  of  your  fine  large  house  ? ’ He  re- 
plied : ‘ I do  not  go  into  it  any  more.’  ‘ Why 
not?’  said  I.  ‘I  dare  not.  My  doctor,  or 
medicine  man,  has  told  me  that  I must  not 
go  into  that  house  again  or  I will  die;  a 
demon  is  lying  in  wait  for  me  with  a club, 
and  will  kill  me  if  I enter  the  door.’  A crowd 
was  standing  about,  and  I turned  the  laugh 
on  him  by  exclaiming  in  much  indignation : 
‘ So  a demon  with  a club  haunts  that  house, 
and  you  are  afraid,  but  you  put  your  guest 
there  to  be  killed ! ’ He  hastened  to  exclaim 
that  for  me  it  was  safe ; the  spirit  would  only 
be  dangerous  to  him.  Then  I said,  ‘ Do  you 
really  believe  that  ? ’ He  replied^  ‘ It  is  so. 
If  I even  come  near  to  the  door  I begin  to 
feel  hot.’  ‘You  begin  to  feel  afraid,’  I said, 
and  I tried  to  explain  to  him  how  much  fear 
has  to  do  with  sickness  and  health.  For  ex- 


140 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


ample,  a Fang  woman  will  see  her  dead  hus- 
band in  a dream,  and  he  will  say,  ‘ I want 
you ; come  join  me  in  the  spirit  land.’  Next 
morning  she  will  say  to  her  friends,  ‘I  am 
going  to  die;  my  husband  has  called  me.’ 
Her  people  will  try  to  make  her  forget  it  and 
cheer  up,  but  it  is  useless.  She  pines  and  in 
a few  days  dies.  ‘ Now,’  I said,  ‘ your  case  is 
similar.  If  you  are  afraid  of  what  the  medi- 
cine man  told  you,  I would  not  myself  urge 
you  to  enter  that  house.  You  might  be  so 
worried  by  your  fears  that  you  would  lose 
your  appetite  and  perhaps  sicken  and  die. 
But  if  you  had  faith  in  Glod,  and  courage  to 
walk  into  that  house  without  fear,  it  would 
harm  you  no  more  than  me.’  He  admitted 
the  force  of  all  that  I said,  but  still  the  old 
fear  remained. 

“ I tried  another  tack.  ‘ Did  the  medicine 
man  who  told  you  this  live  in  your  town,  or 
does  he  belong  to  another  family ! ’ I knew 
that  these  doctors  always  come  from  a dis- 
tance and  have  usually  no  honor  among  their 
own  people.  ‘He  came  from  down-river,’ 
said  the  old  chief.  ‘ Ah,  I understand  it  now. 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KAN  GIVE 


141 


You  are  one  of  the  first  chiefs  in  your  tribe. 
You  have  built  a house  that  is  an  honor  to 
your  town.  This  medicine  man  is  jealous 
of  your  greatness,  and  so  he  takes  this  way 
of  making  your  fine  house  useless  to  you.’ 

“ This  no  doubt  true  explanation,  at  least 
in  part,  set  the  old  chief  and  others  to  think- 
ing. But  when  I called  the  people  together 
for  evening  service,  Mbiti  asked  me  to  hold 
it,  not  in  the  large  front  room,  as  I thought 
of  doing,  but  in  the  street,  where  he  could  sit 
near  by.  He  was  still  afraid  to  enter  his 
house.  He  seemed  convinced,  but  still  did 
not  care  to  take  any  risk.  I have  repeatedly 
noticed  this.  A man  may  be  so  thoroughly 
convinced  of  the  folly  of  his  superstitions 
that  he  will  neglect  them,  but  he  will  never 
throw  away  his  fetishes  or  violate  a command 
of  a medicine  man,  until  the  converting  power 
of  the  Spirit  has  set  him  free  from  his  bond- 
age of  fear. 

“ I wish  you  could  have  seen  that  meeting. 
A table  was  set  in  the  middle  of  the  street 
and  on  it  was  my  lantern.  At  this  I sat,  and 
around  me  was  my  audience — fifty  or  sixty 


142 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


people.  Many  living  in  the  place  were  away ; 
you  almost  never  find  more  than  a third  of 
the  people  of  a town  at  home.  It  was  a bril- 
liant moonlight  night,  about  an  hour  after 
dark.  The  world  seemed  asleep  and  the  time 
a fitting  one  for  drawing  near  to  God. 

“ I spoke  to  them  of  their  neglect  of  God, 
their  Maker.  I reminded  them  that  they 
knew  God,  and  their  fathers  had  known  him 
and  called  him  Anyambie,  before  they  ever 
heard  of  white  men.  I said,  ‘ I come  not  to 
introduce  a new  religion,  but  to  reestablish 
the  religion  of  your  fathers ; for  they  must 
have  once  worshiped  God,  whose  name  has 
come  down  to  you.  This  high  and  noble 
worship  you  have  given  up  for  foolish  super- 
stitions, which  are  an  offense  to  God  and  a 
disgrace  to  yourselves.’  I pointed  them  to 
the  fact  that  they  knew  clearly  right  and 
wrong;  that  they  had  a book  which  every 
one  could  read  without  going  to  school, 
written  in  their  hearts  by  the  finger  of 
God;  but  they  had  deliberately  violated  its 
precepts. 

“All  this  time  the  most  intense  interest — not 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KANGIVE 


143 


a dissenting  murmur ; only  low  exclamations 
of  approval.  Tired  as  I was  before  I began, 
I talked  an  hour.  When  that  solemn  meet- 
ing closed,  and  the  last  strains  of  ‘ Delay  not, 
delay  not ! ’ (in  Mpongwe,  of  course)  had  died 
away,  every  one  drew  a long  breath,  which 
was  almost  a sigh.  For  a moment  no  one 
spoke.  Then  the  old  chief  said  ‘ there  could 
be  no  further  doubt ; it  was  all  clear  at  every 
point,  and  whoever  would  not  believe  now 
had  no  head.’  To  have  seen  that  audience, 
you  would  have  thought  half  at  least  would 
avow  themselves  on  the  Lord’s  side.  To  have 
heard  the  response  of  the  old  chief,  you  would 
have  said,  ‘ He,  at  least,  is  certainly  converted.’ 
But,  if  you  could  have  seen  that  same  com- 
pany next  day,  your  heart  would  have  sunk. 
The  old  chief  as  worldly  and  superstitious  as 
ever,  and  most  of  those  who  seemed  so  im- 
pressed careless  as  before.  I have  no  doubt 
that  meeting  will  do  much  towards  breaking 
down  superstition;  but  one  does  not  work 
long  in  Africa  till  he  realizes  that  convincing 
a man  is  not  converting  him,  and  a profound 
impression  is  not  the  new  birth.  Men  are  not 


144 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


converted  from  such  darkness  as  that  of 
Africa  by  a single  sermon.  The  wonder  is 
that  they  sit  by  so  tamely  and  allow  us  to 
demolish  what  has  always  seemed  to  them 
sacred.” 

The  death  of  a young  French  teacher,1  only 
two  months  after  arriving  at  Kangwe,  cast  a 
dark  shadow  across  the  spring  of  1891.  “ He 

went  to  work  so  quietly,  so  sensibly,  so  ear- 
nestly, that  it  is  only  to-day  we  realize  what 
a helper  he  had  already  become.  As  a true 
missionary  M.  Tissot  came,  and  he  stood 
ready  to  spend  his  life  in  the  service  of  Christ 
in  Africa.”  A contrasting  opinion  of  another 
was  fully  justified : “ He  has  not  come  out  for 
life;  not  for  the  work  of  redeeming  Africa, 
but  to  see  how  he  likes  it.” 

A fourth  church  was  organized  this  year, 
at  Olamba,  with  a membership  of  forty-three. 
A class  of  young  men  was  taught,  for  a 
month,  at  the  station ; and  uncounted  hours 
were  expended  on  fatiguing  revision  of  the 
Mpongwe  New  Testament  and  hymn-book. 

1 M.  Robert  Tissot ; died  at  Kangwe,  May  3,  1891. 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KAN  GIVE 


145 


These  volumes  were  a necessity  for  the  church 
of  the  Ogowe.  “ Our  French  successors  could 
not  take  it  up  for  years.  . . . Will  be  the 
most  valuable  legacy  we  can  leave  them.” 
So  sincere  was  the  purpose  of  the  mission 
in  parting  with  the  Ogowe  stations ; so  true 
to  the  broad  interests  of  the  Church  of 
God. 

The  Fang  were  hard  to  catch.  They  con- 
stituted perhaps  four  fifths  of  the  population 
on  the  Ogowe.  They  seemed  impervious  to 
the  gospel.  Their  great  tribe  was  looked 
upon  as  terrible  and  cruel,  even  by  their  cruel 
neighbors,  and  they  bore  a stigma  above  all 
tribes  on  the  river — cannibalism.  Twice  a 
school  of  six  or  eight  Fang  boys  was  at- 
tempted at  Kangwe;  but  as  soon  as  their 
cheeks  were  plump  from  plenty  of  food  and 
their  bodies  arrayed  in  a clean  cloth,  they  all 
with  one  accord  arose  and  fled.  It  was  there- 
fore a notable  event  when  a regular,  though 
informal,  Fang  service  was  instituted  in 
1891.  It  followed  the  church  service  in 
Mpongwe  on  Sunday  mornings.  “I  have 


146 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


for  some  years  spoken  the  language  but 
all  the  time  was  painfully  conscious  that 
what  I said  was  hardly  intelligible,  certainly 
could  not  be  interesting.  Now  I have  been 
working  on  their  language  and  feel  that  I can 
really  talk  to  them.”  In  October  the  first 
Fang  convert  on  the  river  was  reported. 

“We  have  several  times  had  young  men 
from  that  tribe  express  a desire  to  become 
Christians,  but  it  was  always  coupled  with  a 
request  for  employment.  I knew  they  looked 
upon  ‘ godliness  as  a way  of  gain.’ 

“But  some  time  ago  a middle-aged  man 
who  had  four  wives,  nothing  in  the  world 
to  make  and  a great  deal  to  lose  by  becoming 
a Christian,  announced  that  he  wanted  to  be 
saved  no  matter  if  he  lost  all  he  had  in  the 
world.  He  gave  up  three  of  his  wives ; that 
was  like  giving  up  half  his  fortune.  Not 
only  that,  but  he  did  something  else  which 
took  my  breath  away.  Every  Fang  keeps 
the  skull  of  his  father  in  a bark  bucket  and 
from  time  to  time  makes  offerings,  sometimes 
of  blood,  at  others  meat  of  a goat  or  fowl,  to 
this  skull.  This  is  supposed  to  secure  the 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KANGWE 


147 


favor  of  the  ancestral  spirit.  If  he  goes  to 
trade,  or  to  marry  another  wife,  or  to  war, 
he  cooks  a feast  for  his  father’s  spirit  and 
sprinkles  the  skull  with  redwood  powder. 
This  is,  in  short,  the  great  fetish  of  the  Fang. 
All  I expected  was  that  converts  would  cease 
to  make  offerings  to  the  skulls;  one  could 
hardly  expect  them  to  throw  them  away. 
Imagine  my  surprise  when,  one  day,  Bi§  gave 
me  the  neat  basket  in  which  was  this  precious 
fetish.  This  was  something  so  unheard  of 
among  the  Fang  that  it  brought  on  Bie’s  head 
a storm.  There  is  no  danger  of  violence 
being  done  him,  but  the  Fang  vocabulary  of 
abusive  epithets  has  been  exhausted  by  his 
neighbors  in  expressing  their  opinion  of  the 
man  who  will  give  up  three  women  and  his 
biety,  his  great  fetish,  and  for  what  ? But  his 
stand  has  had  an  effect,  and  quite  a number 
are  seriously  balancing  the  claims  of  this 
world  and  the  next.  Three  young  men  are 
inquirers,  and  promise  well.  But  it  takes 
some  such  sacrifice  as  Bie  made  to  give  me 
confidence  in  a Fang.” 

Bie  was  genuine.  After  instruction  a 


148 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


whole  year,  it  was  said : “ Bie  has  taken  up 
his  cross  and  follows.”  In  1893  twelve  more 
Fang  were  added  to  the  class  from  Foula, 
Bie’s  town. 

A proposition  had  been  sent  to  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  from  Trinity  Church,  in 
Montclair,  N.  J.,  while  Dr.  Good  was  in  Amer- 
ica, that  they  be  allowed  to  assume  his  entire 
salary  and  regard  him  as  their  special  repre- 
sentative in  Africa.  This  arrangement  re- 
sulted most  happily.  Dr.  Good’s  relation  to 
the  Board  was  in  no  wise  altered  thereby,  and 
a particular  benefit  has  accrued  to  the  church 
at  large;  for  never  before  had  he  allowed 
himself  the  time  to  write  such  full,  leisurely 
letters  upon  general  subjects,  as  he  rec- 
ognized it  his  duty  to  write  to  the  mixed 
congregation  of  young  and  old  in  Trinity 
Church.1 

1 The  pastor,  Rev.  Orville  Reed,  by  wish  of  the  session,  sends 
the  following  testimony : “ The  influence  upon  Trinity 
Church  of  these  letters  was  at  once  apparent.  Foreign 
missions  became  real  as  never  before.  Hard-headed  busi- 
ness men,  looking  at  things  from  a business  point  of  view, 
now  took  a vital  and  increasing  interest  in  the  work.  They 
became  warmly  attached  to  Dr.  Good,  but  also  evinced  an 
increasing  interest  in  all  missionary  work.  Read  at  monthly 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KANGIVE 


149 


He  was  intolerant  of  glamour  or  rose-color 
in  representations  of  missionary  work,  and  kis 
former  ideas  of  tlie  usefulness  of  missionary 
letters  were  somewhat  narrow.  They  were 
modified  by  his  home  visit,  so  that,  while  he 
always  had  stood  up  squarely  to  the  duty  of 
fully  informing  the  Board  upon  his  work,  he 
now  went  further,  and  said  to  his  secretary : 
“ I am  coming  to  realize  that  we  on  the  field 
must  assume  more  of  the  burden.  The  church 
is  not  awake  to  the  facts  of  missions;  and 
though  I dislike  writing  above  all  things, 
I shall  endeavor  to  do  my  part  if  you  point 
it  out.”  But,  to  the  end,  the  best  he  had 
to  say  he  said  to  the  Board  and  to  Trinity 
Church,  and  never  wrote  a line  for  a news- 
paper. 1 

One  of  the  Montclair  letters  of  this  period 

concert  and  then  passed  about  among  the  families  of  the 
congregation,  those  letters  kept  alive  interest,  called  forth 
many  a gift,  and  inspired  to  most  hearty  prayer  for  Africa. 

“ Attachment  deepened  as  the  months  passed  on.  The 
1 pastor  in  Africa  ’ was  included  with  the  pastor  at  home  in 
the  hearty  prayers  of  a devoted  people,  and  his  labors  were 
watched  with  the  deepest  interest.” 

1 By  request,  he  furnished  one  article  to  a Princeton 
publication,  for  which  he  received  six  dollars,  the  only  re- 
muneration earned  by  his  pen. 


150 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


introduces  us  to  neighbors,  whose  depreda- 
tions were  frequent. 

“Now,  I submit,  it  is  hard  to  preach  the 
gospel  in  anything  like  the  right  spirit  to 
people  who  you  know  have  robbed  you  and 
are  studying  how  they  can  do  it  again.  I 
find  it  most  difficult  to  live  the  gospel  of 
charity  and  forbearance  and  not  lay  myself 
open  to  be  cheated  at  every  turn.  These 
Fang  like  us  and  respect  us,  but  their  greed 
is  insatiable  and  their  ideas  of  honesty  so  low 
they  cannot  resist  the  temptation  to  help  them- 
selves from  what  seems  our  superabundance. 

“ Here  lies  the  difficulty  in  giving  the  Fang 
the  gospel.  Ten  dollars  in  cash  would  buy 
all  the  worldly  possessions  of  the  average 
Fang  man,  barring  his  wives.  Every  Fang, 
on  the  average,  owes  for  wives  already  mar- 
ried two  or  three  times  as  much  as  all  he 
possesses.  Besides  this,  he  wants  to  marry 
some  more,  no  matter  whether  he  has  one  or 
twenty.  He  never  accumulates  goods.  Cloth 
is  the  principal  currency;  but  few  men  will 
be  found  to  have  more  than  ten  or  twenty 
yards  in  their  possession.  It  goes  as  soon  as 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KANGIVE 


151 


bought  to  pay  for  some  woman.  Where  do 
the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  yards  go  ? The 
Fang  number  perhaps  three  millions.  Of 
these  only  a few  thousand  get  cloth  directly 
from  traders.  The  others  buy  it  with  ivory, 
rubber,  but  especially  with  women.  The 
poor  interior  supplies  wives  to  their  more 
fortunate  countrymen  who  have  the  white 
man.  There  is  little  polygamy  among  the 
poorer  interior  tribes.  While  such  a system 
prevails,  and  every  man  keeps  before  him  as 
his  highest  ambition  the  marrying  of  at  least 
five  wives,  the  Fang  will  remain  poor. 

“ Such  a man  brings  his  plantains  to  sell. 
He  sees  in  the  mission  store  perhaps  a thou- 
sand dollars’  worth  of  goods.  Oh,  what  riches ! 
He  learns  that  when  we  need  more  goods  we 
write  home  for  them.  How  easy  that  seems ! 
What  great  men  these  missionaries  must  be ! 
And  where  do  all  their  goods  come  from? 
They  cannot  believe  that  people  in  America 
would  of  their  own  free  will  contribute  such 
sums  to  enable  us  to  come  out  here  and  teach 
people  who  are  not  even  of  our  own  color. 
It  is,  to  their  minds,  pure  nonsense.  It  must 


152 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


be  that  we  have  some  way  of  getting  goods 
without  earning  them.  Often  I have  been 
questioned  on  this  point,  and  as  often  as  I 
tried  to  explain,  they  have  set  aside  my  ex- 
planation and  returned  to  the  attack  in  some 
other  form.  Sometimes  they  try  to  catch  me 
by  leading  questions : ‘ Who  makes  cloth  and 
guns  and  powder?’  ‘We  white  men  do,’ I 
reply.  ‘No,  you  do  not.  Is  it  not  Any  am 
[God]  who  makes  these  things  ? ’ That 
sounds  very  pious,  but  wait  till  you  see  what 
he  is  aiming  at.  ‘ Does  not  God  give  you  all 
these  goods  you  white  people  sell  to  us  ? and 
they  don’t  cost  you  anything ; and  why  can’t 
you  put  the  prices  down,  and  why  can’t  you 
make  us  poor  people  gifts  of  cloth,  tobacco, 
etc.?’  Again  I go  over  the  whole  ground 
and  explain  how  white  people  work  for  what 
they  have,  and  goods  are  given  by  Christians 
in  America  to  enable  us  to  live  among  them 
and  give  them  the  gospel,  and  are  not  to  be 
given  away,  else  they  would  soon  be  finished 
and  the  work  stopped.  But  it  is  useless. 
Some  shrewd  old  scoundrel  will  look  up  after 
I am  done  and  say  with  a provoking  grin : 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KANG  IV E 


153 


‘ Now,  Good,  you  know  you  are  lying.  You 
white  people  don’t  make  cloth.  Only  God 
could  do  that.  You  white  people  are  hard 
not  to  be  willing  to  divide  with  us  who  have 
nothing  on  our  bodies  but  one  small  cloth.’ 

“.  . . While  I am  preaching  they  are 
studying  my  clothes,  and  when  I am  through, 
these  are  some  of  the  exclamations  I hear : 
‘How  finely  he  is  dressed!  Look  at  that 
coat ; and  he  is  not  satisfied  with  that,  but  he 
wears  something  else  under  it.  See  his  shoes 
and  hat,  and  look  at  us!  Only  two  yards 
of  cloth  on  our  whole  body ! ’ They  are  dis- 
posed to  blame  God.  ‘ If  he  loves  us,  why 
has  he  given  white  men  so  much  and  us 
nothing  ? ’ 

“ Our  whole  manner  of  living  is  a snare  to 
them.  Our  plain  table  has  on  it  a wealth  of 
dishes  to  a people  who  eat  out  of  a basket 
with  their  fingers,  and  dip  their  soups  out  of 
the  pot  in  which  they  were  cooked,  using 
leaves  for  spoons.  And  a bed ! What  rolls 
of  cloth ! That  one  bed  would  buy  a woman. 

“ Some  will  imagine  that  natives  of  this 
country  would  be  impressed  by  the  sacrifice 


154 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


we  make  in  spending  our  lives  among  them. 
This  is  the  case  with  the  more  intelligent. 
But  to  these  Fang,  fresh  from  the  bush,  our 
life  seems  one  of  luxury  and  ease. 

“ Some  will  suggest  that,  like  Paul,  we 
might  be  everything  to  every  man,  and  live 
as  the  people  do  among  whom  we  labor.  But 
no  half-way  measure  would  be  appreciable  to 
these  ignorant  savages.  I presume  no  one 
would  ask  us  to  reduce  our  wardrobe  to  the 
native  standard,  or  to  sleep  on  a bed  of  logs 
laid  together  with  the  round  side  up. 

“We  can  only  pray  Glod  to  impress  upon 
these  poor  grown-up  children  the  fact  that 
there  is  something  more  important  than 
worldly  wealth.  Meanwhile  we  must  expect 
that,  while  they  look  upon  us  as  they  now  do, 
they  will  steal.  And  we  must  rejoice  with 
trembling  in  our  spiritual  successes.  When 
a man  says  he  wants  to  come  to  the  mission 
and  learn  about  Glod,  we  must  act  cautiously. 
From  the  way  we  question  him  you  would 
imagine  that  we  did  not  want  the  Fang  to 
become  Christians.  We  say,  ‘ What  is  it  you 
want V ‘I  want  to  live  in  the  mission,’  he 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KANGIVE 


155 


replies.  ‘ What  for V ‘I  want  to  do  God’s 
work.’  ‘ You  want  employment  in  the  mis- 
sion so  you  can  get  wages?’  ‘Yes;  but  I 
want  to  learn  about  God  too.’  Beware ! the 
man  is  probably  not  a convert. 

“ We  have  had  most  of  our  success  among 
older  tribes  who  have  known  us  long  and 
well.  But  I believe  the  future  of  our  work 
lies  among  these  hardy  and  energetic  but 
fearfully  ignorant  Fang.  There  seems  to  be 
a beginning  already.” 

A packet  of  questions  was  sent  to  Dr. 
Good  from  Trinity  Church  friends,  some  of 
his  answers  to  which  fill  the  remainder  of  this 
chapter.  To  a general  inquiry,  he  answered : 
“ The  most  intelligent  Christians  here  can- 
not see  why  they  should  not  have  everything 
we  have.  They  have  no  national  costume, 
and  every  one  of  them  would  like  to  have 
clothes  just  like  ours,  from  hat  to  shoes,  re- 
gardless of  the  fact  that  they  would  be  mis- 
erable in  such  dress.  One  of  our  elders  made 
me  fairly  shudder,  some  months  ago,  by  ap- 
pearing at  communion  in  a thick  overcoat. 
He  sweltered  in  it  through  a long  hot  day 


156 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


with  a look  of  supreme  contentment.  It  was 
a white  man’s  coat,  and  therefore  must  be 
right.  I suppose  I was  the  only  person  in 
the  audience  who  did  not  envy  him.  I saw 
a young  man  ready  to  pay  four  months’  wages 
for  a clock,  for  which  he  had  no  use  whatever. 
These  are  illustrations  of  a prevalent  evil.  An 
African  wants  everything  he  sees. 

“ A few  Christians  are  in  mission  employ, 
and  they  are  discontented  and  grumble  be- 
cause their  wages  will  not  enable  them  to 
live  as  we  live.  If  we  keep  their  wages  down, 
they  are  bitter  against  us  and  say  we  want 
to  keep  them  down.  If  we  increase  their 
wages  out  of  proportion  to  incomes  of  the 
people,  we  put  off  indefinitely  the  day  of 
self-supporting  churches.  They  do  not  want 
to  see  that  day,  for  they  know  that  any  sup- 
port the  churches  can  give  them  will  be 
meager  compared  with  what  we  furnish.  Do 
not  imagine  these  men  are  mercenary  hire- 
lings. Most  of  them  are  earnest  men.  But 
it  is  hard  for  them  to  see  why  the  means  of 
grace  should  not  be  provided  without  price 
to  the  end  of  the  chapter.  Great  firmness 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KAN  GIVE 


157 


and  wisdom  will  be  needed  in  dealing  with 
our  churches.” 

Q.  “ After  a self-sustaining  church  and  an 
educated  ministry  have  been  secured,  do  you 
think  the  church  will  live  and  grow  without 
the  missionary?” 

A.  “ That  is  a hard  question.  Not  all  the 
churches  established  by  the  apostles  lived  and 
grew.  Doubtless  this  question  means,  Can 
the  people  of  Africa  maintain  and  propagate 
Christianity,  once  it  is  established  among 
them,  or  are  they  essentially  inferior  to  other 
races,  so  that  they  will  never  stand  without 
outside  support?  I believe  that,  given  the 
same  conditions  and  opportunities  we  have, 
the  African  will  stand  morally  and  intellec- 
tually just  where  we  do.  But  a people  who 
have  been  stunted  and  degraded  by  thousands 
of  years  of  heathenism  cannot  be  trans- 
formed at  once  into  such  Christians  as  this 
question  contemplates.  Growth  is  a gradual 
process.  It  will  not  be  in  ten  or  in  fifty 
years.” 

[To  a question  concerning  his  health.] 
“ Once  a month  or  so  I bring  myself  thor- 


158 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


oughly  under  tlie  influence  of  quinine,  and 
so  escape  fevers.” 

Q.  “ Do  you  not  often  grow  weary  and 
homesick  ? ” 

A.  “Of  course  one’s  thoughts  often  turn 
to  friends  and  scenes  in  the  home  land,  and 
one  wishes  he  could,  at  least  for  a little  time, 
annihilate  space.  But  I believe,  since  I came 
to  Africa,  there  has  never  been  a time  when, 
after  balancing  the  pros  and  cows,  I would 
not  rather  remain  than  go  home.  I do  not 
mean  to  say  that  I like  the  country  or  people 
of  Africa  as  such ; that  I enjoy  isolation,  ill 
health,  living  on  canned  provisions,  working 
where  my  best  efforts  are  little  appreciated. 
I could  probably  have  better  health,  more 
amusement,  a better  time  generally,  in  Amer- 
ica, perhaps  a more  successful  career,  regarded 
from  some  points  of  view ; but  I doubt  whe- 
ther, knowing  the  needs  of  Africa  as  I do,  I 
could  have  an  easy  conscience  if  I were  to 
run  away  from  this  work.  I prefer  to  stay 
at  my  post  till  the  Lord  discharges  me.  Mean- 
while I manage  to  be  fairly  comfortable  and 
happy  in  Africa. 


ANOTHER  STAGE  AT  KAN  GIVE 


159 


“I  have  spoken  only  for  myself;  but  I 
think  nearly  all  who  have  come  to  Africa  as 
missionaries  have  felt  much  as  I feel  on  this 
subject.” 

[At  the  close  of  1891.]  “ Looking  at  the 

physical  side,  I think  I can  honestly  say  that 
I have  worked  up  to  the  full  measure  of  my 
strength.  But  when  I remember  that  the 
success  of  efforts  put  forth  in  the  service  of 
Christ  depends  absolutely  on  our  spiritual 
attitude  towards  him  and  his  work,  I am  con- 
scious of  shortcomings  that  amount  almost  to 
failure.” 

Seventy-two  persons  were  admitted  to 
the  church  this  year  in  the  Ogowe. 


CHAPTER  IX 


Visit  of  Inspection  to  Liberia 
January — April,  1892 

1 the  end  of  1891  Dr.  G-ood  received  in- 


structions from  the  Board  to  proceed  on 
a tom*  of  inspection  to  the  Liberia  Mission. 
This  had  been  established  in  1833,  had  been 
left  without  superintendence  for  a long  time, 
was  at  present  controlled  entirely  by  colored 
men,  and  the  Board  was  in  doubt  whether  it 
should  continue  on  the  old  basis.  This  was 
an  unattractive  task.  Dr.  Good  always  suf- 
fered from  seasickness  on  board  ship;  he 
knew  the  Liberian  coast  was  dangerously  un- 
healthy; visitation  of  the  scattered  stations 
would  involve  great  exertion  under  a hot  sun ; 
there  was  no  prospect  of  finding  material  for 
a glowing  report,  but  eveiy  chance  to  antag- 
onize people;  and,  most  of  all,  it  involved 
separation  from  his  family  and  interruption 


160 


VISIT  OF  INSPECTION  TO  LIBERIA 


161 


of  his  Ogowe  work  for  three  months.  He 
replied  to  the  Board  that  he  could  not  but  be 
grateful  for  their  confidence  in  him,  but  the 
responsibility  involved  in  the  visit  to  Liberia 
would  be  a “ load  ” to  carry.  “ Of  course  I 
shall  go,  and,  if  I am  spared,  endeavor  to  per- 
form the  task  assigned  me.” 

Without  waiting  for  adjournment  of  mis- 
sion meeting,  he  was  off  to  Liberia  by  the  first 
opportunity  in  January.  In  order  to  make 
ship  connections  he  was  obliged  to  go  beyond 
Liberia  to  Sierra  Leone  and  return ; but  at 
whatever  port  he  stopped  there  was  always 
something  to  learn,  to  investigate,  or  some 
piece  of  business  to  transact  for  the  mission. 
At  Kameruns  it  was  the  proposition  for  a 
sanitarium  to  be  established,  by  several  mis- 
sions combining,  upon  Kameruns  Mountain. 
Discussing  the  general  subject,  Dr.  Good 
wrote  to  the  Board  that  he  thought  furloughs 
were  apt  to  be  wastefully  managed.  Mission- 
aries in  Africa  usually  took  no  vacation  until 
sickness  compelled  it,  whereas  if  they  were 
expected  to  spend  a month  each  year  away 
from  their  cares,  sickness  might  be  saved. 


162 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


“ Seven  days  in  the  week  and  every  week  in 
the  year  is  the  rule  with  some  of  us,  and  the 
only  fact  that  makes  it  possible  to  keep  it  up 
is  that  our  work  is  very  varied.  Have  a mis- 
sion sanitarium?  Yes,  if  we  are  required  to 
use  it  a few  weeks  each  year ; no,  if  it  is  only 
a resort  when  we  are  broken  down.  After 
malignant  fevei’,  six  months,  not  six  weeks, 
are  necessary  for  restoration,  and  I would 
much  prefer  going  to  America,  where  I could 
recruit  spiritually  and  mentally  as  well  as 
physically,  instead  of  going  into  the  wilder- 
ness for  a six  months’  exile.” 

At  Sierra  Leone  he  interviewed  persons 
well  informed  upon  Liberian  men  and  affairs. 
He  went  to  the  English  cathedral  and  a 
Mohammedan  mosque,  and  took  a general 
measurement  of  moral  forces  in  the  country. 

Landing  at  Monrovia,  February  11,  he 
spent  one  month  in  Liberia,  traveling  seven 
hundred  miles  on  foot  or  by  canoe,  and 
visited  every  station  of  the  mission,  with  one 
exception.  He  also  visited  the  Lutheran 
mission  at  Muhlenberg.1 

1 “ He  brought  with  him  a flood  of  sunlight,  and  when  he 
left  took  the  love  of  all  in  the  mission.”  (Letter  from  Rev. 
David  A.  Day,  Lutheran  missionary.) 


VISIT  OF  INSPECTION  TO  LIBERIA 


163 


Everything  passes  under  observation : the 
condition  of  Liberia,  political,  commercial, 
agricultural,  especially  the  coffee  plantations ; 
the  proportion  of  Americo-Liberian  popula- 
tion to  the  great  majority  of  uncivilized 
aborigines ; methods  of  the  Colonization  So- 
ciety; methods,  rules,  salaries  of  different 
mission  Boards.  It  was  some  of  the  time  in- 
tensely hot ; and  starting  at  6:30  a.m.,  once 
before  3 a.m.,  in  order  to  take  advantage  of 
the  tide  up  June  Biver,  he  walked  hours  to- 
gether over  an  uninteresting  country.  Sab- 
baths he  preaches — four  times  one  Sabbath. 
He  arrives  entirely  unannounced,  before 
they  have  time  to  confer  or  “ fix  up  ” accounts, 
at  each  minister’s  or  teacher’s  door,  now  be- 
fore seven  o’clock  in  the  morning,  again  at 
eight  in  the  evening.  He  makes  a memoran- 
dum regarding  the  extent  and  value  of  all 
mission  property  and  by  whom  deeds  are 
held ; visits  all  the  schools  and  examines  the 
scholars,  recording  the  discrepancy  between 
numbers  enrolled  and  present;  notes  those 
who  are  just  beginning  arithmetic,  those  who 
drop  final  consonants  in  pronouncing,  those 
who  scarcely  understand  simple  English  but 


164 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


glibly  recite  long  answers  from  tbe  catechism. 
Acting  as  eyes  for  tbe  Board,  be  reports  a 
teacher  who  “ beats  tbe  scholars  more  than  is 
warrantable.  I told  him  that  be  must  win  tbe 
people  or  be  written  down  a failure.”  He  marks 
those  ministers  who  are  political  candidates, 
thereby  creating  division  in  their  flocks ; those 
who  increase  their  income  by  a side  business, 
or  whose  moral  character  is  under  public  sus- 
picion ; and  he  notes  the  man  who  “ pleased 
me  much  by  his  plain,  unaffected  way  of 
reading  and  leading  in  prayer.”  He  finds 
Schieffelin  the  only  place  where  Presbyterians 
are  in  the  majority,  and  here  “we  ought  to 
have  a minister,”  but  advises  the  Board  to 
withdraw  from  a hamlet  of  three  hundred 
people,  where  he  discovers  three  churches, 
the  Presbyterian  weakest  of  all.  His  ear  is 
open  to  requests  on  every  side,  but  he  distin- 
guishes between  wishes  and  needs:  “ 

wants  me  to  recommend  windows  and  seats 
for  the  church.  I cannot  recommend  the 

latter.”  At  they  “sadly  need  books.” 

Having  taken  leave  of  a station,  he  found  it 
convenient  to  make  a second,  sudden  reap- 


VISIT  OF  INSPECTION  TO  LIBERIA 


165 


pearance,  whereby  his  first  impressions  were 
confirmed  or  revised.  There  was  only  one 
man  who  made  any  success  of  evading  the 
keen-eyed  visitor.  “ Loafed  about  the  place, 

learning  but  little ; seemed  busy  all  day 

and  into  the  night,  but  I could  not  make  out 
what  he  was  doing.  Crowds  of  people  come 
and  go,  and  it  cannot  all  be  church  business. 
He  was  not  communicative.  I have  the  im- 
pression that,  though  professing  cordiality, 
he  was  glad  to  get  me  off.” 

This  errand  to  Liberia  was  executed  in  a 
temper  which  made  his  visit  agreeable  to  the 
African  brethren.  His  energy  might  give 
them  a cyclone  shock,  but  they  appreciated 
his  fairness  and  friendliness.  His  report  was 
temperate,  and  more  faithfully  presented  the 
situation  to  the  Board  than  if  they  had  seen 
Liberia  themselves.  Liberians  were  compared 
with  other  Africans,  not  with  Englishmen. 
“ Why  should  it  be  expected  that  freed  slaves 
and  their  children  should  make  an  unblem- 
ished success  of  this  business  of  self-govern- 
ment, which  the  first  cities  in  the  United 
States  find  so  difficult  ? . . . On  the  whole, 


166 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


Liberia  seems  to  be  getting  on  her  feet.  I 
could  easily  criticize,  but  knowing  Africa,  as 
I do,  I feel  more  like  praising.”  Emphatic 
praise  was  accorded  to  the  public  sentiment 
against  use  of  spirituous  liquors.  “ Liberian 
churches  discipline  for  drunkenness,  and  only 
white  men  handle  liquor  in  Monrovia.” 

On  setting  out  for  Liberia,  Dr.  G-ood  had 
promised  his  little  son  to  try  to  return  by  his 
birthday,  April  12 ; but  it  was  already  the  3d 
when  Eloby  was  reached,  and  there  yet  re- 
mained a boat  journey  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  miles.  Here  the  news  met  him  that  his 
wife  was  ill.  Taking  a canoe,  he  rowed  all 
night  up  the  Moonda  River  and  walked  across 
country  to  Gaboon  to  save  a few  hours.  All 
in  vain.  He  waited  five  days  to  catch  a boat 
for  Cape  Lopez ; thence  took  a trader’s  launch 
which  dropped  him  at  Kangwe  at  midnight 
of  April  12,  and  he  entered  the  sick-room  with 
the  step  and  voice  of  a practised  nurse. 


CHAPTER  X 


On  to  the  Interior 
January — August,  1892 

ITH  each  year  the  course  of  the  colonial 


government  added  something  to  the 
strength  of  conviction  in  the  mission  that 
their  only  way  out  was  by  the  transfer  pro- 
posed.1 Dr.  (rood’s  position  was  clear.  The 
transfer  must  take  place : 

1.  To  save  Christians  and  the  prosperous 
churches  in  the  Ogowe  from  falling  to  Roman 
Catholics.  American  missionaries  were  liable 
to  be  ultimately  expelled  from  the  river ; un- 
less evangelical  Frenchmen  could  take  pos- 
session of  their  stations,  Jesuits  would. 

2.  French  Protestants  had  decided  to  come 
to  Congo  Fran<jais ; rival  stations  were  not  to 
be  thought  of. 


1 See  Chapter  IV.,  u resolution  ” of  the  mission  in  1887. 
167 


168 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


3.  Economy  of  mission  funds  demanded  it. 
French  schools  in  the  Ogowe  could  be  con- 
ducted at  half  the  cost  of  American  schools, 
because  granted  a much  larger  subsidy ; gov- 
ernment also  discriminated  heavily  in  their 
favor  in  custom  duties. 

The  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  in  New 
York  had  for  many  months  seriously  weighed 
the  question  of  their  duty  when  the  transfer 
should  be  consummated.  A section  of  the 
mission  force  in  Africa  would  then  be  set 
free  for  new  undertakings.  Where  did  wis- 
dom and  the  providence  of  Hod  point  as  the 
proper  location  of  this  force  ? 

As  usual,  Dr.  (rood’s  views  were  construc- 
tive. He  saw  a great  stretch  of  inland  sav- 
agery reaching  up  to  the  very  door-stone  of 
the  mission.  There  was  the  place  to  begin. 
“ While  we  hold  the  coast  we  have  the  key  to 
a great  interior  which  we  ought  to  open  or 
give  somebody  else  the  key.”  The  work 
“grandly  begun”  on  the  coast  could  not  be 
abandoned,  and  it  pointed  to  the  next  step, 
eastward  from  Bata  and  Batanga.  “ In  such 
a work  we  ought  not  to  act  as  if  we  were 


ON  TO  THE  INTERIOR 


169 


trading  horses,  but  rather  see  what  will,  in 
the  long  run,  most  hasten  the  coming  of  the 
kingdom.”  As  to  distance:  “We  cannot  ex- 
pect the  interior  to  come  closer  to  the  coast 
than  one  hundred  miles.  To  reach  Stanley 
Pool  is  a land  journey  of  twenty  days  over 
fearful  country.” 

At  the  opening  of  1892,  mission  requested 
Dr.  Giood,  should  the  Board  indorse  and  au- 
thorize the  same,  to  select  an  associate  and 
make  a trip  of  exploration  into  the  country 
adjoining  Batanga  district  on  the  east,  with 
reference  to  a future  occupation  in  those 
parts.  At  this  point  the  Africa  Mission  takes 
up  afresh  the  old  cry  which  had  been  raised 
by  voice  after  voice  from  the  beginning  of  its 
history : 

“ If  the  providence  of  God  [Wilson,  1843] 
shall  continue  to  smile  on  this  mission,  we 
may  hope  that  Christianity  will  have  a 
favorable  door  of  entrance  in  the  interior.” 
“ Before  a mission  can  be  established  in  the 
interior  [Report,  ’49]  the  acquaintance  of 
intermediate  people  must  be  made.  The  line 
of  communication  must  be  in  the  hearts  of 


170 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


the  people.”  “ Ten  years  have  passed  [Bush- 
nell,  ’54]  since  we  first  came  in  view  of  these 
Ethiopian  mountains,  . . . with  feeble  ranks 
we  have  been  detained  upon  these  lowlands. 
Oh,  when  shall  we  be  permitted  to  unfurl  the 
banner  of  Immanuel  there  ? ” Ogden’s  dying 
words  (’61)  had  never  been  forgotten : “ Who 
will  go  ? — will  you  go ! — who  will  go  to  preach 
on  the  mainland  1 ” “ We  looked  up  the  lovely 
Benito  [Oeorge  Pauli,  ’64]  to  the  great  blue 
mountains  beyond,  and  thought  of  the  ‘ plenty, 
plenty  people’  waiting  ...  to  catch  some 
tidings  of  salvation.  We  are  encouraged  to 
hope  that  ere  many  years  those  dark  hilltops 
shall  shine  with  the  glory  of  a brighter  dawn.” 
“It  is  the  country  far  back  from  the  sea  [Re- 
port, ’74]  that  our  mission  must  consider. 
There  dwell  the  myriads  of  Africa.  Every 
door  that  may  be  opened  by  Providence  in- 
land should  be  at  once  entered.” 

Doors  had  been  entered  from  time  to  time ; 
some  after  opening  had  closed  again;  now 
the  mission  was  looking  eastward  and  asking 
whether  again  they  saw  the  door. 

At  Kangwg  Dr.  Good  awaited  marching 


ON  TO  THE  INTERIOR 


171 


orders  from  the  Board ; but  the  expected  in- 
structions were  mysteriously  delayed.  Mail 
succeeded  mail,  and  no  reference  to  the  all- 
important  subject.  Had  their  plans  collapsed  ? 
With  each  passing  week  the  rains  approached 
so  much  the  nearer,  when  exposure  in  travel 
must  be  proportionally  increased.  With 
soldierly  obedience,  he  would  not  stir  from 
his  post  to  anticipate  orders  by  a day.  He 
plunged  into  work  industriously.  All  spare 
hours,  early,  late,  while  waiting  for  other 
people,  now  and  again  a steady  pull  for  a 
week,  he  bent  over  the  Mpongwe  New  Tes- 
tament which  was  begun  two  years  before. 
At  length,  as  the  last  line  of  revision  was 
complete,  the  long-awaited  letter  came,  June 
16.  It  had  been  mailed  three  months  be- 
fore. 

Arrangements  were  at  once  made  for  pro- 
ceeding to  Batanga,  his  family  to  be  left 
meanwhile  at  Gaboon.  A substitute  at 
Kangwe  was  obtained  in  the  missionary  from 
Talaguga,  which  station  was  formally  turned 
over  to  the  French  in  the  following  month. 

Dr.  Good  preached  as  usual  on  the  last 


172 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


Sunday,  taking  no  formal  farewell  of  his 
people.  The  journey  on  which  he  was  bound 
could  at  present  be  treated  only  as  an  experi- 
ment, and  he  expected,  for  shorter  or  longer, 
to  come  again  to  Kangwe.1  In  truth,  the 
books  he  left  standing  on  their  shelves  he 
never  touched  again.  The  road  on  which  he 
was  started  now  would  never  lead  back  to 
the  scene  of  those  seven  rounded  years  of 
manful  toil ; its  goal  lay  far  north,  in  a region 
untrodden  by  white  man’s  foot. 

On  the  Fourth  of  July — auspicious  day — the 
little  party,  all  unknowing,  looked  their  last 
towards  their  home,  buried  among  feathery 
palms  and  orange  trees,  as  the  boat  turned 
southward  on  the  oft-traversed  river  course. 
Ten  years’  experience  in  Africa  forbade  this 
step  should  be  taken  lightly;  no  one  more 
sensible  than  Dr.  Glood  himself  what  hardship 
and  risk  were  certain,  how  much  might  he  in- 
volved. From  this  time  forth  there  appears 
in  his  letters,  always  marked  by  freedom 
from  hackneyed  pious  expressions,  an  un- 

1 The  station,  with  all  its  property,  was  made  over  to  the 
French  brethren,  without  charge,  in  1893, 


ON  TO  THE  INTERIOR 


173 


wonted  note  of  gravity  which  repeats  itself, 
with  simple  urgency,  again  and  again : “ Pray- 
ing that  we  may  all  he  divinely  guided  in 
this  new  enterprise.”  Yet  it  was  with  ample 
courage,  and  not  without  some  exhilaration, 
that  the  intrepid  missionary  turned  down  the 
Ogowe  page  to  open  upon  a new  chapter. 

Plans  had  not  been  deferred  until  the  time 
to  start.  In  looking  for  a mission  location, 
he  proposed  to  avoid  the  German  government 
road,  with  the  chance  of  becoming  involved 
in  government  conflicts  with  natives.  He  de- 
termined to  travel  with  the  fewest  carriers 
possible,  not  only  to  save  expense,  but  because 
every  additional  man  would  increase  the 
danger  of  a breakdown ; the  sickness  of  even 
one  carrier  would  delay  the  whole  party.  In 
response  to  a charge  from  the  Board  to  use 
caution : “ I shall  try  to  have  a [missionary] 
companion,  and  shall  prepare  as  carefully 
against  all  emergencies  and  dangers  as  I 
know  how ; but  the  emergency  against  which  I 
shall  most  carefully  provide  is  failure”1  He 
ventured  no  prophecies.  “It  is  difficult  to 


1 Italics  are  Dr.  Good’s. 


174 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


speculate  about  fields  one  has  never  seen.  A 
road  is  hard  or  easy  according  to  a man’s  idea 
of  what  a hard  road  is.  The  German  gave  a 
rather  dark  picture  of  the  road  for  the  first 
seven  days ; but,  as  I looked  at  him,  I decided 
in  my  mind  that  he  was  not  a man  of  great 
physical  endurance,  and  his  picture  may  be 
too  dark.” 

"West  Coast  men  are  not,  like  the  Zanzibari, 
trained  carriers ; they  are  not  equal  to  a load 
as  heavy  by  twenty  pounds,  and  are  afraid  to 
enter  the  country  of  a strange  tribe.  The 
greatest  vexation  which  Dr.  Good  encountered 
this  summer  was  in  securing  his  few  neces- 
sary guides  and  carriers.  Trade  goods, 
which,  instead  of  money,  would  purchase 
food,  must  be  transported;  the  weight  of 
every  article  had  to  be  calculated,  anything 
not  absolutely  essential  being  rigidly  ex- 
cluded; and  then,  had  it  not  been  for  four 
boys  from  the  Ogowe  who  could  be  implicitly 
depended  on,  men  could  scarcely  have  been 
found  for  even  the  seven  loads.  When,  on 
the  sixteenth  day  after  leaving  KangwS,  all 
was  ready  at  Batanga,  and  none  of  his  breth- 


ON  TO  THE  INTERIOR 


175 


ren,  though  willing,  was  thoroughly  available 
for  the  journey,  Dr.  Good  started  alone  at 
the  head  of  his  modest  caravan. 

In  this  preliminary  exploration,  which  lasted 
twenty-three  days,  he  reached  a point  about 
one  hundred  miles  inland.  No  report  of  it 
was  offered  to  the  mission,  because  the  popu- 
lation found  was  not  sufficient  to  justify 
opening  stations  on  this  route.  Trinity 
Church,  however,  received  a letter  which,  be- 
sides details  peculiar  to  this  instance,  unfolds 
several  features  common  to  all  exploration  in 
Equatorial  Africa : 

“ Now  a word  as  to  this  country  into  which 
I am  about  to  lead  you.  The  Batanga  people 
live  on  the  sea  shore.  Just  back  of  them  are 
the  people  called  here  Mabeya,  Dibea,  by 
some  Osyeba,  but  who  call  themselves  Kwa- 
siwo.  Their  towns  are  within  ten  or  fifteen 
miles  of  the  beach.  Among  Batanga  people 
the  gospel  has  taken  a strong  hold.  Among 
these  Mabeya  scarcely  anything  has  been 
done;  but  the  devil  has  been  busy  among 
them,  and  many  of  them  are  slaves  to  drink. 

“ When  we  had  passed  the  last  Mabeya  town 


176 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


we  found  ourselves  in  a virgin  forest,  through 
which  we  had  to  travel  from  sixty  to  eighty 
miles  before  we  reached  the  inhabited  inte- 
rior. This  meant  that  food  must  be  carried 
for  from  five  to  eight  days,  according  to  the 
rate  of  march.  There  are,  of  course,  no  roads, 
only  narrow  winding  paths ; no  bridges  over 
streams,  no  swamps  filled  up,  no  hotels,  only 
low  rude  sheds  under  which  travelers  may 
sleep  on  beds  of  poles  with  a fire  on  each  side, 
but  affording  little  protection  from  rain.  The 
natives  dislike  climbing  hills,  and  so  these 
roads  are  fairly  level ; but,  unfortunately  for 
white  men,  they  do  not  have  the  same  dread 
of  mud  and  water.  We  had  hardly  gotten 
into  the  forest  when  the  path  dropped  down 
into  the  bed  of  a stream,  which  it  followed 
for  a hundred  yards  or  more. 

“We  tried  each  day  to  start  soon  after  six 
in  the  morning.  By  half -past  ten  or  eleven 
we  stopped  to  eat,  and  by  three  or  four  in  the 
afternoon  everybody  was  tired  enough  to  stop 
for  the  night.  Beyond  this  there  is  little  to 
say  of  our  tramp  through  the  forest.  There 
were  a few  birds  in  the  trees,  usually  too  high 


ON  TO  THE  INTERIOR 


177 


to  be  shot.  We  saw  a few  deer,  or  rather 
antelope;  but  I got  only  one  chance  for  a 
shot,  and  that  time  my  gun  missed  fire.  There 
were  many  traces  of  elephants  and  occasion- 
ally of  buffaloes,  also  wild  hogs.  We  saw 
many  monkeys,  some  of  them  very  large ; but 
the  trees  were  so  enormously  high  that  shot 
would  not  reach  them,  and  the  forest  was 
always  so  dark  that  it  was  impossible  to  shoot 
with  a rifle  with  any  accuracy.  Even  where 
trees  were  neither  very  high  nor  very  thick 
it  seemed  unaccountably  dark.  Most  of  the 
time  the  sun  was  clouded,  and  the  effect  was 
as  if  twilight  had  already  fallen,  even  at 
noonday.  Even  when  the  sun  came  out,  it 
seemed  to  have  no  power.  In  fact,  African 
sunlight  is  in  some  way  of  an  inferior  quality. 
As  Mr.  Stanley  has  said,  it  is  more  like  moon- 
light than  sunlight. 

“ On  Tuesday,  the  sixth  day,  about  2 p.m., 
suddenly  the  forest  grew  light  before  us,  and 
a few  moments  later  we  came  into  a clearing 
close  to  a small  Bulu  town  called  Bieti.  Here 
for  the  first  time  in  seventy-five  miles  we 
were  able  to  see  out  and  look  about  us.  We 


178 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


were  well  received  by  the  people,  according 
to  their  ideas  of  hospitality.  The  old  chief 
was  very  friendly,  and  gave  me  a fowl  and 
my  people  plantains,  although  food  was 
scarce.  After  some  time  a house  was  pro- 
vided, and  glad  was  I to  be  under  a roof,  even 
if  I could  hardly  stand  erect  under  it.  I had 
known  that  the  Bulu  people  were  closely 
allied  to  the  Fang;  but  I soon  found  that, 
while  many  words  were  the  same  in  the  two 
languages,  the  differences  were  so  great  that 
little  that  I said  was  intelligible  to  them. 
How  was  I to  preach  to  them — for  preach  I 
must?  Our  guides  had  told  them  that  we 
are  not  traders  but  teach  people  the  words 
of  G-od,  and  the  whole  town  was  anxious  to 
hear  what  was  our  message.  They  all  came 
together,  and  the  palaver  house  was  packed 
with  men,  women,  and  dogs.  Fires  are  always 
kept  burning  in  these  houses,  and  the  smoke 
was  very  affecting,  often  moving  one  to  tears ; 
but  it  had  to  be  borne.  I talked  in  Fang, 
which  my  Mabeya  people  understand  a little 
better  than  the  Bulu  people,  so  they  helped 
me  to  explain  what  I could  not  express  clearly. 


ON  TO  THE  INTERIOR 


179 


But  they  added  a good  deal  to  what  I said, 
being  anxious  to  display  their  knowledge,  and 
I was  not  quite  sure  that  what  they  said  was 
always  orthodox. 

“Among  the  Bulu  I was  on  new  ground 
and  had  to  begin  by  finding  out  what  they 
call  God,  and  I got  a new  name  for  the  Creator 
of  all  things — Nzambe.  The  Mpongwe  call 
God  Anyambie;  the  Benga  and  Batanga  peo- 
ple, Anyambe ; the  Mabeya,  Njambe ; the  Fang, 
Nzam ; and  here  the  Bulu  call  him  by  a name 
evidently  related  to  the  others  and  yet  differ- 
ent enough  to  be  confusing. 

“A  scene  here  was  repeated  daily  for  the 
next  two  weeks.  I wished  to  impress  upon 
them  the  truth  that  God  is  not  far  from  any 
of  us  and  can  hear  us  when  we  pray.  So  I 
explained  the  meaning  of  prayer,  and  re- 
quested them  all  to  keep  quiet  while  I rose 
and  began.  At  first  there  was  only  a little 
noise,  but  three  or  four  shouted  out,  ‘ Keep 
quiet ! ’ To  make  matters  worse,  the  Mabeya 
shouted,  ‘Shut  your  eyes!’  So  unusual  a 
performance  convulsed  some  with  laughter. 
Some  mothers  thought  closing  the  eyes  was 


180 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


an  important  matter,  and  so  held  their  hands 
over  their  children’s  eyes.  Of  course  the 
youngsters  screamed.  Some  women  became 
frightened  and  bolted  for  the  door,  laughing 
and  screaming ; and  the  dozen  or  more  dogs 
that  had  been  asleep  around  the  fires,  roused 
up  by  the  unusual  excitement,  began  to  bark. 
I need  hardly  add  that  by  this  time  the  prayer 
was  effectually  interrupted. 

“ At  Akok,  the  village  of  Ndum,  we  spent 
a most  interesting  Sabbath.  The  chief  killed 
a large  sheep,  and  did  his  best  to  make  us 
comfortable.  People  came  in  from  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  I preached,  or  tried  to, 
rather,  to  a large  audience.  I kept  my  note- 
book in  hand  constantly,  and  set  down  every 
deviation  from  the  Fang  which  I noticed. 
Sabbath  morning  I got  on  fairly  well,  and 
Sabbath  evening  the  people  encouraged  me 
by  declaring  that  they  understood  everything 
I said.  Some  of  them  stood  around  and 
questioned  about  what  I had  preached  till 
late  at  night.  One  thing  especially  pleased 
me.  When  I said  I must  go  on  the  morrow 
they  seemed  sorry,  but  made  no  effort  to 


ON  TO  THE  INTERIOR 


181 


hinder  me.  On  the  whole,  I liked  the  Bulu. 
They  resemble  the  Fang  but  are  more  civil 
and  humane.  Imaybemistaken,butitseemed 
to  me  they  had  the  good  qualities  of  the 
Fang  and  not  all  of  their  faults.  But  I must 
add,  they  could  lie  almost  as  well  as  Fang.” 
Dr.  Good  tried  to  find  out  how  far  north  of 
the  Campo  River  he  was,  and  as  a specimen 
of  the  difficulty  in  getting  geographical  in- 
formation is  the  variety  of  answers  he  re- 
ceived: “We  don’t  know.”  “It  is  very  far. 
No  people  live  between  here  and  the  Campo. 
There  are  no  roads.”  “ It  is  one  day’s  jour- 
ney.” “ It  is  ten  days’  journey.”  “ It  is  three 
or  four  days’  journey.”  “ The  country  be- 
tween here  and  the  Campo  is  inhabited  by 
Fang;  some  of  their  towns  are  quite  near.” 
“ The  country  between  us  and  the  Campo  is 
inhabited  by  Bulu,  but  none  of  them  live 
within  three  or  four  days’  journey.” 

Sabbath,  on  the  rapid  march  home,  was 
spent  in  the  edge  of  the  forest.  “What  a 
Sabbath!  It  rained  most  of  the  day.  My 
hut  was  so  low  I could  not  stand  in  it.  The 
people  were  noisy  and  offensively  curious,  but 


182 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


withal  meant  well.  I could  make  myself 
understood,  and  many  seemed  interested. 
They  begged  me  to  come  soon  again,  and 
were  sure,  if  I would  stay  and  preach  to  them, 
they  would  all  become  Christians.  Poor 
people ! How  little  they  realize  the  strength 
of  the  chains  with  which  the  devil  has  bound 
them ! ” 

In  the  interval  between  his  first  and  second 
exploring  journeys,  and  while  mustering  car- 
riers again,  Dr.  Good  was  copying  his  Mpong- 
we  manuscript  with  exceeding  care  for  the 
diacritical  marks,  as  it  would  be  put  in  type 1 
in  America  by  printers  of  course  ignorant  of 
the  language. 

The  Board  having  asked  for  suggestions 
from  all  missionaries  regarding  the  “ Manual,” 
about  to  be  reissued,  he  addressed  to  them 
some  of  his  matured  views  on  practical  points. 
They  related  largely  to  the  subject  of  expense. 
In  regard  to  voting  in  mission  meeting,  he 
urged  that  lay  missionaries,  men  and  women 
alike,  should  vote  upon  all  questions;  that 

1 The  Roman  alphabet  is  used.  The  Testament  was 
printed  by  the  American  Bible  Society. 


ON  TO  THE  INTERIOR 


183 


employees  of  the  mission  should  be  appointed 
missionaries  “after  long,  approved  service”; 
wives  should  be  “ associate  missionaries,” 
without  a vote  but  with  a voice  in  mission 
affairs  whenever  they  chose.  “ To  refuse  the 
vote  to  laymen  is  to  wrong  men  and  women 
who,  in  all  but  ordination,  are  the  equal  of 
their  ministerial  brethren.” 


CARRIERS’  STRAP,  OF 
WOVEN  BAMBOO. 


CHAPTER  XI 

PIONEERING  IN  BULULAND 

August  1892 — January  1893 

ON  setting  out  for  the  Bulu  country  the 
second  time,  Dr.  Hood  wrote : “ My  plan 
has  never  had  in  it  anything  grand  or  roman- 
tic. If  I can  this  year  find  a good  site  for  our 
first  station,  and  assure  myself  of  a large  popu- 
lation beyond,  I do  not  see  the  need  of  doing 
more  at  present.” 

This  journey  was  begun  August  30,  and 
ended  October  4.  It  had  been  thrown  for- 
ward into  all  the  disadvantages  of  the  rainy 
season  by  delay  in  transmission  of  the  letter 
of  instructions.  No  one  would  have  regarded 
Dr.  Good  as  recreant  to  duty  if,  placing  the 
responsibility  upon  that  delay,  he  had  post- 
poned his  journey  until  the  good  weather  of 
December.  But  in  January  mission  would 

184 


PIONEERING  IN  BULULAND 


185 


convene  to  take  action  upon  all  its  affairs  for 
the  ensuing  year.  Unless  his  report  were 
laid  before  that  meeting,  no  recommendations 
could  be  made,  and  the  advance  movement 
might  be  retarded  a whole  year.  Such  waste- 
fulness of  time,  especially  in  uncertain  Africa, 
was  not  to  be  thought  of ; therefore,  into  the 
bush  without  hesitation ! 

The  start  was  south  from  Batanga,  avoid- 
ing the  forest  belt,  then  east  and  southeast, 
passing  through  Mabeya  villages  and  farms, 
to  the  Lobi  River.  Twenty-five  miles  of 
tramping  brought  them  to  the  most  westerly 
Bulu  town ; thence,  by  a forest  path  of  twelve 
miles,  they  emerged  upon  a line  of  towns 
called  Kokwa,  which  suggested  itself  as  an 
excellent  location  for  a Bible-reader.  “He 
could  reach  thousands  of  souls  within  a day’s 
journey.”  All  the  Bulu  encountered  the  first 
week  belonged  to  the  same  clan,  and  there 
are  over  one  hundred  clans. 

The  vicissitudes  of  travel  were  varied. 
Several  nights  were  spent  in  the  forest, 
“ sleeping  with  nothing  but  a mosquito  net 
of  cheese-cloth  between  me  and  all  out  of 


186 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


doors,  and  I felt  no  ill  effects.”  Two  blankets 
at  nigbt  were  occasionally  necessary,  and  it 
was  rarely  hot  except  at  noon.  But  a twenty 
miles’  march  in  tropical  rain,  “sometimes 
pouring  down  till  the  air  seemed  full  of 
water,”  would  be  followed  next  day  by  pour- 
ing rain  again,  and  for  days  following  by 
“rain  pouring  as  usual.”  There  were  no 
roads,  only  crooked  African  paths  worn 
trough-shape  by  water,  their  center  six  inches 
deeper  than  the  sides.  Bridgeless  streams 
must  be  crossed,  often  every  mile  or  two,  or 
bogs  several  hundred  yards  wide,  through 
which  our  pioneer  went  barefoot.  “ I have 
read  what  Stanley  says  against  a white  man’s 
letting  natives  -see  his  bare  feet,  and  I con- 
sider it  all  nonsense.  The  African  has  a 
great  deal  more  respect  for  a white  man  who 
can  take  care  of  himself  than  for  one  who  has 
to  be  carried  like  a baby.”  Near  the  towns 
constant  obstructions,  such  as  fallen  tree- 
trunks,  which  Africans  always  go  around, — 
never  remove  for  the  public  benefit, — made 
fearful  work  for  carriers.  On  either  side,  the 
narrow  path  was  often  lined  with  a dense 


PIONEERING  IN  BULULAND 


187 


growth  of  weeds  and  grass,  always  wet  with 
dew,  if  not  rain,  till  ten  o’clock  in  the  fore- 
noon, and  the  white  traveler,  disadvantaged 
by  his  clothing,  was  soon  wet  to  the  hips. 
Worst  of  all,  the  paths,  habitually  dropping 
along  the  course  of  streams  for  a mile  or 
more  at  a time,  required  constant  walking  in 
and  out  of  cold  water,  the  misery  increasing 
at  every  step  from  sand  and  quartz  pebbles 
which  gathered  in  the  shoes. 

Occasionally  a town  banded  together,  re- 
fusing food  unless  at  exorbitant  prices.  Then 
the  caravan  fell  back  upon  rice,  which  had 
been  brought  in  their  loads  for  such  emergen- 
cies. Now  and  then  a churlish  chief  offered 
no  welcome,  or  promised  them  robbery  and 
murder  at  the  next  town  on  the  road.  At 
one  place  the  question  of  plundering  their 
loads  was  openly  discussed,  but  abandoned 
at  the  suggestion  from  their  own  elders  that 
the  white  man  must  have  a “ powerful  fetish  ” 
or  he  would  not  venture  so  far  from  his  peo- 
ple. “ I could  not  help  thinking  how  easily 
they  could  take  our  all  if  they  had  the  cour- 
age.” But  though  at  times  surrounded  by 


188 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


hundreds  of  armed  men,  they  generally  met 
a friendly  reception.  The  only  arms  in  the 
party  were  Dr.  Good’s  old  single-barreled 
shot-gun,  loaded  with  bird-shot,  and  a re- 
volver which  he  carried  out  of  sight,  and 
displayed,  with  apparent  indifference  but  a 
wholesome  effect,  on  one  occasion  only.  It 
was  enough.  The  fame  of  the  “ small  gun  ” 
was  thenceforward  their  avant-coureur.  Scores 
of  times  he  was  asked  to  show  it,  but  always 
sternly  refused,  thereby  heightening  the 
mystery.  This  he  called  a “silly  ruse” 
which  might  answer  for  once,  but  would  not 
do  when  the  white  man  became  a familiar  ob- 
ject. It  would  be  safe  to  recognize  the  limi- 
tations to  exploring  among  unknown  savages. 
“ Establish  one  station ; from  this  explore  for 
the  next,  choosing  the  best  seasons  and  going 
only  one  hundred  miles  at  a time.” 

Ten  miles  a day  was  a “ hard  ” march,  but 
nearing  home  a “ tremendous  ” march  of 
twenty-five  miles  was  once  covered.  As  Dr. 
Good  proceeded  from  town  to  town,  a crowd 
of  several  hundred  followed  at  his  heels,  add- 


PIONEERING  IN  BULULAND 


189 


ing  to  liis  natural  fatigue  and  anxiety  the 
loud  jangle  of  their  untamed  voices.  He  laid 
a mental  tax  upon  himself  by  continually 
watching  for  new  Bulu  words  and  idioms, 
which  were  straightway  transferred  to  the 
little  note-book  in  his  side  pocket. 

In  searching  for  an  appropriate  station 
site,  some  towns  which  had  been  recom- 
mended (by  Africans)  proved  disappointing. 
True,  Minkale  was  more  than  two  thousand 
feet  above  sea-level,  surrounded  by  moun- 
tains from  three  to  four  thousand  feet  higher, 
with  a bracing  air;  but  it  was  too  isolated. 
The  group  of  seven  towns  on  the  watershed 
between  the  Kribi  and  Campo  rivers  had 
friendly  people,  and  an  elevation  of  two 
thousand  feet,  but  was  too  far  from  the  sea. 
The  valley  of  the  Muile,  “ fertile  and  level 
as  a Nebraska  prairie,”  was  densely  populated, 
but  promised  to  be  unhealthful.  Biyemyem 
was  a town  a mile  long  and  would  be  a fine 
center  as  regarded  population,  but  lacked 
wood  and  water.  There  was  a right  place. 

“ I was  especially  attracted  by  a long  line 


190 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


of  almost  continuous  villages  called  Nkoneme- 
kak,  where  the  people  seemed  to  swarm  on 
all  sides.  This  line  partly  encircled  the  base 
of  a hill  which  struck  me  as  an  admirable 
site.  The  elevation  of  the  town  was  only  six- 
teen hundred  feet,  but  this  hill  is  two  hundred 
feet  higher.  Here  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  site 
for  our  first  interior  station.  By  the  crooked 
path  we  must  travel,  the  distance  from  Ba- 
tanga  is  not  less  than  seventy  miles ; but  this 
is  the  first  large  center  of  population  we  met 
with  on  elevated  ground,  and  the  largest 
within  one  hundred  miles  of  the  sea.  This 
point  can  be  reached  from  the  west  by  two 
or  three  different  roads,  and  we  can  go  east- 
ward by  two  roads.  This  is  an  important 
consideration  in  a country  where  any  chief 
who  imagines  he  has  a grievance  may  close 
the  road  against  us.  Food  is  reasonably 
abundant,  though  not  very  cheap.  I found 
the  people  ready  to  listen  to  the  gospel  wher- 
ever I stopped  long  enough  to  preach.” 

The  method  by  which  the  minds  of  those 
wild  Bulu  listeners  were  brought  into  contact 
with  the  divine  message,  which  for  the  first 


PIONEERING  IN  BULULAND 


191 


time  was  conveyed  to  their  race,  is  pictured 
in  one  of  the  letters  to  Trinity  Church. 

“ I never  failed  to  announce  that  I was  not 
a trader.  I went  out  of  my  way  to  prove  this. 
Many  times,  when  invited  to  go  and  see  the 
house  full  of  ivory  of  some  chief,  I really 
wanted  to  go ; for  I had  often  heard  there 
were  houses  full  of  ivory  in  interior  towns, 
and  was  curious  to  know  whether  this  meant 
a room  with  ten  tusks  in  it  or  fifty  or  one 
hundred.  But  I was  being  so  carefully 
watched  that  if  I even  went  to  look  at  their 
ivory  the  news  would  follow  me  wherever  I 
went,  and  the  impression  produced  would  be 
that  I was  a trader  in  disguise,  spying  out 
the  riches  of  the  land.  So  I always  pretended 
utmost  indifference  to  questions  of  trade.  At 
times  I would  go  into  a long  explanation  of 
how  only  a few  white  men  were  traders,  and 
these  not  the  greatest  men  with  us.  I would 
disgust  them  especially  by  telling  them  that 
my  father  was  a farmer,  and  before  I learned 
the  ‘work  of  the  Book’  I myself  hoed  corn 
and  potatoes.  Among  them  such  work  is 
only  performed  by  women,  or  men  of  no 


192 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


standing.  They  wanted  to  almost  worship 
me,  hut  this  confession  shattered  their  idol. 
Many  a time  I could  have  gotten  on  more 
comfortably  by  a time-serving  policy.  Often 
I would  have  preferred  to  pay  an  exorbitant 
price  for  something  rather  than  go  without  it. 
But  I expected  to  come  back  sometime,  and 
preferred  to  have  my  difficulties  at  the  be- 
ginning, and  to  leave  no  precedents  that  might 
make  trouble  for  some  one  else.  Sometimes 
they  intimated  quite  plainly  that  they  wanted 
a white  man  who  would  make  them  rich  buy- 
ing their  rubber  and  ivory,  not  one  who  came 
with  nothing  but  ‘ words.’ 

“In  nearly  every  case  the  gospel  seemed 
to  make  a profound  impression,  at  least  for 
a time.  The  truth  of  what  I said  was  rarely 
questioned.  You  will  wonder  at  this  in  a 
people  who  never  before  heard  even  a rumor 
of  divine  truth,  until  you  understand  how 
wonderfully  the  truth  we  preach  harmonizes 
with  and  supplements  what  they  already  be- 
lieve. They  believe  in  an  eternal  Being  who 
has  made  all  things,  to  whom  all  men  return 
at  death,  but  they  do  not  think  of  this  Being 


PIONEERING  IN  BULULAND 


193 


as  observing  their  actions,  or  that  after  death 
he  may  call  them  to  account  for  deeds  done 
in  the  body. 

“ The  fundamental  truths  which  they  hold 
seem  like  fragments  of  a broken  chain,  which 
they  are  too  thoughtless  to  connect;  but 
when  the  missionary  comes  along  and  con- 
nects these  severed  fragments,  they  cannot 
help  seeing  how  they  fit  together.  I ask  who 
made  them  and  all  things,  and  they  reply  at 
once,  ‘ Nzam’  1 Who  gives  you  all  the  bless- 
ings you  enjoy?’  ‘He  does.’  ‘Do  you  love 
and  worship  him  and  thank  him  for  his  good- 
ness?’ ‘No.’  ‘Why  not?’  At  once  they 
see  their  conduct  must  be  displeasing  to  God. 
‘Are  lying,  stealing,  and  killing  right  or 
wrong  ? ’ ‘ Wrong,  of  course.’  ‘ How  do  you 

know?’  They  cannot  tell;  they  just  know 
it.  To  the  suggestion  that  these  things  are 
written  in  their  hearts,  like  the  words  in  a 
white  man’s  book,  they  assent  at  once  as  a 
satisfactory  explanation.  ‘ Who  wrote  those 
things  in  your  hearts?’  ‘We  don’t  know,’ 
they  say.  ‘Who  made  you?’  ‘ Nzam,’’  or 
‘ Njambe .’  Both  words  are  used.  Then,  ‘ Did 


194 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


he  not  write  these  laws  in  your  hearts?’ 
Here  was  a break  in  their  knowledge,  but  the 
moment  the  missing  link  is  supplied  the  chain 
is  made  complete  in  their  minds.  ‘ Yes,’  in  a 
chorus;  ‘yes,  he  gave  us  these  laws  in  our 
hearts.’  Then  I am  ready  to  press  home  the 
great  truth  from  which  there  is  now  no  es- 
cape. ‘If  God  made  this  law,  he  must  be 
angry  when  it  is  broken.  He  must  see  when 
it  is  broken,  for  he  made  the  eye;  as  he 
made  the  ear,  he  must  himself  hear  what 
is  spoken  contrary  to  this  law.’  ‘ Yes,  that 
must  be  so.’  ‘ Then,  when  death  calls  you 
into  the  presence  of  this  Being  whose  laws 
you  have  broken,  how  will  he  receive  you?’ 
They  attempt  no  evasion;  they  admit  that 
God  will  be  angry ; and  when  I tell  them  of 
heaven  and  hell  the  excitement  sometimes 
becomes  intense.  Then  I lead  them  on  to 
the  blessed  truth  that  God  is  a God  of  mercy ; 
and  often,  when  the  strange  new  story  is 
finished,  trade  and  greed,  all  else,  seem  for- 
gotten. But  next  morning  or  an  hour  after- 
wards, when  they  have  talked  together  a little 
and  repeated  to  one  another  what  they  have 


PIONEERING  IN  BULULAND 


195 


heard  of  me,  doubts  begin  to  arise.  They 
call  me  and  want  to  talk  a little  more.  I sit 
down,  prepared  to  be  questioned.  The  ob- 
ject of  my  visit  has  been  fully  explained. 
But  no  matter;  the  first  question  generally 
was,  ‘ Where  are  you  going  ? ’ ‘ I do  not  know 
exactly.  I told  you  I was  going  as  far  as  I 
could  and  to  see  as  many  peoples  as  I could.’ 
‘ But  who  are  you  going  to ? ’ ‘I  don’t  know.’ 
An  astounding  statement  to  them,  as  they 
never  dare  go  anywhere  unless  where  they 
have  a friend  who  can  protect  them.  ‘ What 
are  you  going  for?’  By  this  time  I would 
be  losing  patience,  and  reply  something  like 
this : ‘ I have  told  you  already ; why  do  you 
keep  on  asking  the  same  question?’  ‘Yes, 
we  know  ’ (coolly) ; ‘ but  tell  us  now  what 
you  are  really  seeking ! ’ Several  times  I 
thought  they  did  believe  me,  but  was  after- 
wards convinced  that,  with  the  exception  of 
perhaps  two  towns,  the  people  took  little 
stock  in  my  explanations,  and  by  most  I was 
set  down  as  an  impostor.  Had  I come  to 
look  for  trade,  had  I killed  and  plundered, 
they  would  have  fully  appreciated  my  mo- 


196 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


tives ; but  that  white  men  want  to  teach  them 
about  God  and  heaven  without  money  or 
price,  that  was  incomprehensible.  The  first 
great  law  of  heathenism  is  selfishness,  and, 
tried  by  this  their  only  standard,  you  can 
see  how  unbelievable  must  have  seemed  my 
statement.” 

Dr.  Good  returned  to  Batanga  in  health, 
having  traveled  over  four  hundred  miles  on 
foot,  penetrating  the  country  about  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  miles,  and  having  seen  the 
dwellings  of  from  thirty  to  forty  thousand 
people.  He  had  expended  less  than  half  the 
money  granted,  had  selected  one  station  site 
and  the  approximate  location  for  a second. 
Incidentally,  he  had  acquired  considerable 
fluency  in  the  Bulu  tongue  and  revised  the 
geography  of  some  towns  and  of  the  Campo 
River.  At  once  he  prepared  a masterly  re- 
port upon  what  he  had  learned,  which  was 
presented  to  his  brethren  in  mission  meeting 
and  forwarded  to  the  Board.  The  contents 
were  arranged  in  three  parts : (1)  a general 
outline;  (2)  analysis  of  important  features; 
(3)  recommendations  for  action. 


PIONEERING  IN  BULULAND 


197 


He  acknowledged  his  consciousness  of  as- 
sistance from  above : 

“ Not  only  my  brethren  here,  but  friends  in 
America,  must  have  been  helping  me  at  the 
throne  of  grace.  Again  and  again  my  way 
seemed  closed,  but  always  opened  just  in 
time.  I was  turned  aside  from  the  course 
marked  out  for  myself  by  scarcity  of  food, 
want  of  guides,  native  feuds;  sometimes  I 
was  misled  by  false  statements ; but  although 
at  the  time  I fumed  and  fretted,  I can  now 
see  that  I could  hardly  have  laid  out  a better 
course  than  that  by  which  I was  compelled 
to  go.” 

He  explained  the  geographical  relations  of 
many  tribes;  how  from  interior  forest  seats 
the  coast  trade  had  beckoned  them,  and, 
moved  by  greed,  they  had  years  before  begun 
a march  which  was  gradually  increasing  in 
volume  and  momentum  as  they  advanced. 
He  showed  the  bearings  of  this  seaward  mi- 
gration upon  missionary  opportunity. 

The  Ntum  people  were  real  Fang  from  the 
Ogowe.  “ They  will  soon  be  down  to  the  sea 
just  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Campo.”  The 


198 


/ 

//  Y&O 

A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 

Bulu  and  Upper  Campo  Fang  were  practi- 
cally one  people — “ in  a few  years  will  fill  the 
region  back  of  Batanga.”  The  greater  part 
of  them  were  still  in  their  old  homes,  but,  as 
fast  as  they  pushed  those  in  front  of  them 
out  of  the  way,  were  pressing  westward. 
This  scramble  to  reach  the  sea  was  demoral- 
izing. Constantly  on  the  move,  old  indus- 
tries, such  as  working  in  iron,  were  abandoned, 
their  towns  were  carelessly  built,  they  planted 
too  little  and  were  therefore  hungry  some 
months  every  year.  The  whole  social  fabric 
was  shaken  because  towns  belonging  to  the 
same  clan  became  separated  in  transitu , and 
a central  government  was  therefore  impossi- 
ble. But  this  very  movement  would  bring 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  souls,  before  nearly 
inaccessible,  within  easy  reach  of  the  gospel. 
The  forest  back  of  Batanga  would  in  twenty 
years,  perhaps  less,  be  filled  with  a dense  pop- 
ulation; “that  is,  if  we  meet  these  peoples 
with  the  gospel  of  peace  and  so  tame  their 
savage  instincts  that  they  can  be  crowded 
together  without  exterminating  each  other.” 


PIONEERING  IN  BULULAND 


199 


The  vast  country  from  the  Campo  River 
north  to  the  Soudan  border  might  be  worked 
as  one  field,  in  the  Bulu  language. 

“The  bane  of  mission  work  in  all  West 
Equatorial  Africa  is  the  multitude  of  tribes, 
each  with  a distinct  language,  into  which  the 
people  are  split  up.  How  I have  longed  for 
a field  in  which  one  language  and  literature 
would  reach  everybody!  As  I studied  the 
map,  the  prospect  was  not  inspiring.  There 
were  the  Batanga  people,  the  Mabeya,  the 
Fang,  the  Bene,  the  Yengone,  the  Yewondo. 
I said  to  myself,  ‘ Which  of  these  tribes  shall 
we  adopt!’  I dwell  on  this  that  you  may 
realize  the  thrill  of  pleasure  with  which  I 
learned  that  all  these  people,  except  the  first 
two,  speak  closely  related  dialects.  . . . 
When,  in  conversation  of  a half-hour  with  a 
Yewondo  man,  I was  able  to  detect  only  a 
few  slight  variations  from  the  Bulu,  my  last 
doubt  vanished,  and  I thanked  Bod  that  we 
had  found  our  field.” 

Climate  indications  were  favorable,  “ if 
there  is  such  a thing  as  good  climate  in 


200 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


Africa;  but  the  man  who  is  willing  to  go 
only  where  the  climate  is  good  had  better 
stay  in  the  United  States.” 

The  Bulu  were  not  cannibals,  they  held  no 
slaves,  had  no  intoxicating  drink,  and,  “as 
far  as  I could  discover,”  there  was  no  true 
idolatry  among  them.  Their  superstition  is 
the  fetish.  “ They  have  not  come  in  contact 
with  civilization  enough  to  get  even  a veneer 
of  good  manners,  and  simply  acted  out  their 
true  character — not  that  they  do  not  know 
better.  Their  moral  natures  are  tuned  to  the 
same  pitch  as  ours.  They  praise  the  same 
virtues  and  reprove  (in  others)  the  same  vices. 
But  in  practice  they  are  shamelessly  immoral, 
dishonest,  cruel.  They  might  be  worse.  I 
think  they  are  less  vindictive  than  the  Fang 
of  the  Ogowe.  Bulu  character  is  somewhat 
relieved  by  frequent  streaks  of  good  humor. 

“ How  often  the  thought  came  to  me  that 
if  heaven  is  to  be  a happy  home  for  God’s  peo- 
ple, it  will  not  do  to  admit  these  Bulu ! And 
yet  they  are  material  out  of  which  saints  may 
be  made.  Out  of  these  rough,  unlovely  blacks 
might  be  wrought  beautiful  images  of  Christ.” 


PIONEERING  IN  BULULAND  201 

The  first  “ recommendation  ” of  Dr.  Good’s 
report  was  that  “we  definitely  adopt  this 
field.  I believe  God  has  assigned  it  to  us 
and  calls  us  to  enter.  ...  I make  this  rec- 
ommendation after  much  prayerful,  anxious 
thought.  I know  that  treasure  must  he  ex- 
pended and  lives  sacrificed  if  this  region  is  to 
be  evangelized.1  But  with  the  difficulties  and 
perplexities  in  full  view,  I urge  that  we  take 
up  this  work.” 

Promptness  to  act  in  establishing  a first 
station  seemed  of  the  greatest  importance, 
because  the  German  government  had  prom- 
ised not  to  allow  Roman  Catholics  to  enter  a 
field  preempted  by  Protestants,  and  vice  versa. 
Americans  would  probably  have  no  chance 
unless  they  seized  it  soon.  “If  we  let  the 
Catholics  beat  us  in  this  race,  we  ought  to  go 
home  and  quit.” 

It  was  recommended  that  three  new  men, 
one  of  them  a mechanic,  be  sent  out  to  man 
the  first  station,  others  to  follow  in  due  time. 
Were  not  the  proposals  conservative?  “I 
cannot  bring  myself  to  believe  that  our  great, 


1 The  italics  are  the  author’s. 


202 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


wealthy  church  will  turn  hack  from  this  open 
door.  At  least,  let  the  work  he  laid  on  her 
conscience.  ...  I have  faith  that  men  will 
he  found  ready  to  go,  and  others  will  he  glad 
to  make  an  investment  for  eternity  by  send- 
ing them.” 

Pending  action  upon  his  report,  Dr.  Good 
was  with  his  family  at  Baraka,  his  pen  flying 
night  and  day,  from  epistle  to  epistle, — would 
it  never  get  done? — copying  the  MpongwS 
Testament. 

Mission  indorsed  the  report,  and  passed 
resolutions  adopting  the  new  field  and  asking 
the  church  for  eight  men  to  work  it.  Dr. 
Good  was  appointed  to  Batanga,  from  there 
to  superintend  opening  the  first  station.  On 
account  of  his  family,  he  regarded  himself  as 
ineligible  for  permanent  location  in  the  inte- 
rior. He  strongly  advocated  having  it  opened 
up  by  unmarried  men,  not  chiefly  on  account 
of  difficulty  of  access  and  the  roughness  of 
a pioneer  station,  hut  rather  to  reduce  ex- 
penses to  a minimum.  He  considered  that 
for  the  first  years  the  people,  food  supplies, 
climate,  all,  were  on  trial.  The  people  might 


PIONEERING  IN  BULULAND 


203 


turn  against  white  men  and  refuse  to  sell 
them  food.  In  such  cases,  if  their  houses 
were  simply  built  of  bark  in  native  style, 
nothing  to  tempt  the  covetousness  of  Afri- 
cans, the  missionary  would  be  in  a position 
to  control  the  chiefs  by  threatening  to  move 
on  to  So-and-so’s  town.  But  if  their  premises 
were  too  valuable  to  leave  behind  they  would 
be  in  the  power  of  the  Bulu,  and  the  Bulu 
would  know  it.  “ I opposed  taking  ladies  to 
the  new  field  chiefly  because  doing  so  means 
building  better  houses  and  furnishing  them 
more  expensively  than  I think  the  unsettled 
condition  of  the  country  warrants.  While 
our  plant  has  little  value,  the  temptation  to 
plunder  will  be  small.”  For  himself,  he  hoped 
to  perfect  his  knowledge  of  the  Bulu  language, 
and,  living  at  Batanga,  alternate  preparation 
of  Bulu  books  with  itineration  among  the 
Mabeya  and  near  Bulu  towns,  thus  strength- 
ening the  work  of  the  interior  at  the  rear. 

When  the  report  was  received  in  America, 
utmost  pains  was  taken  to  have  its  contents 
thoroughly  digested  by  members  of  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions.  The  vote  of  adoption 


204 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


was  unanimous,  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
Board  never  took  a forward  step  with  more 
perfect  comprehension  of  what  was  involved. 

In  respect  of  distance  from  the  sea,  the 
proposed  first  station  did  not  compare  with 
some  which  had  been  opened  prior  to  this 
time,  but  there  was  this  difference : all  others 
had  been  planted  upon  waterways,  where  the 
missionary’s  boat  made  him  independent ; but 
from  Bululand  there  could  be  no  way  out  ex- 
cept on  foot,  through  the  bush,  across  bridge- 
less  streams,  or,  at  best,  in  a hammock  swung 
upon  men’s  shoulders. 


CHAPTER  XII 


Byways  of  an  Industeious  Life 

NO  one  was  well  acquainted  with  Dr.  Good 
who  did  not  know  of  his  fondness  for 
pet  animals  and  his  keen  delight  in  the  out- 
door world.  He  would  chase  a monkey  with 
the  zest  of  a hoy.  He  had  not  been  in  Gaboon 
two  weeks  before  a night-ape  was  sharing  his 
chamber.  Later  there  was  an  owl  named 
“ the  Judge.”  A goat,  gazelle,  civet-cat,  and 
nine  monkeys  at  one  time  were  among  the 
domesticated  pets  in  the  Kangwe  home.  He 
once  shot  a leopard  that  was  robbing  the 
Baraka  chicken-house,  and  he  hunted  ele- 
phants now  and  again  as  they  crossed  the 
track  of  his  itineration;  hut  although  the 
true  gorilla  country  was  just  behind  his 
Ogowe  field,  and  it  would  have  been  his  joy 

205 


206 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


and  pride  to  shoot  a gorilla,  he  never  left  his 
post  to  try  it. 

His  chief  diversion  in  Africa  was  collect- 
ing moths  and  butterflies,  of  which  he  sent 
thousands  of  specimens  to  America.1  When 
weaker  men  would  have  been  snatching  a nap 
on  the  lounge,  he  was  out  in  the  air  with  his 
butterfly  net,  a recreation  which  contributed 
not  a little  towards  keeping  his  mind  healthy 
and  his  judgment  sound.  But  the  very 
Lepidoptera  were  made  to  fold  their  gauzy 
wings  for  the  redemption  of  Africa;  every 
dollar  of  remuneration  for  his  specimens 
was  conscientiously  devoted  to  mission  pur- 
poses. 

Dr.  Good’s  ability  was  so  versatile  and  his 
tastes  ran  in  so  many  channels  that  the  old 
phrase  “ an  all-around  man  ” was  often  ap- 
plied to  him.  Had  his  life  been  prolonged  to 
old  age  he  would  have  been  able  to  make 
valuable  additions  to  the  world’s  knowledge 
of  the  natural  history,  geology,  ethnology, 
and  philology  of  Equatorial  West  Africa. 

This  chapter  is  devoted  to  extracts  upon 

i See  Appendix  A, 


BYIVAYS  OF  AN  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  207 


miscellaneous  subjects,  taken  verbatim,  or 
slightly  condensed,  from  bis  note-books  and 
letters. 

EARTHWORMS  AND  DRIVER-ANTS 

“ I saw  to-day  a curious  sight.  An  army  of 
drivers  had  spread  themselves  out  to  forage, 
and  part  of  the  path  was  black  with  them. 
They  swarmed  not  only  on  the  ground,  but  on 
bushes  to  a height  of  five  or  six  feet,  and 
there  was  the  usual  commotion  in  the  insect 
world.  When  thus  scattered  about  driver- 
ants  make  a noise  on  the  leaves  exactly  like 
raindrops,  and,  misled  by  the  noise,  earth- 
worms come  out  as  they  are  wont  to  do  when 
it  rains.  It  is  a mistake,  however,  which  they 
usually  atone  for  with  their  lives.  To-day, 
in  advance  of  the  advancing  swarm  of  ants, 
I saw  two  immense  earthworms  scurrying 
across  the  path.  They  had  come  out  to  enjoy 
a shower,  but,  happening  near  the  edge  of 
the  ants,  were  making  good  their  escape. 
One  of  them  especially  was  of  immense  size, 
fully  a foot  long  and  a quarter  of  an  inch 
thick.  The  extremities  had  a bluish  cast, 


208 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


and  about  an  inch  and  a half  from  the  head 
was  a raised  ring  nearly  half  an  inch  wide. 
When  interfered  with  it  squirmed  violently. 
Happening  to  touch  it  with  my  finger,  I 
noticed  a spray  striking  my  hand.  Trying 
again  and  again,  I found  that  from  any  part 
of  its  body  it  could  send  out,  to  a distance  of 
six  inches  or  more,  a jet  of  spray  thick  enough 
to  be  distinctly  visible  and  to  make  the  hand 
quite  wet.  The  jet  seemed  to  come  out  just 
where  the  creature  was  touched  and  along  a 
half -inch  perhaps  of  its  length — a little  diffi- 
cult to  determine  exactly,  for  the  spray  did 
not  become  distinctly  visible  till  it  had  left 
the  body  an  inch  or  two.  It  came  out  ap- 
parently from  a center  or  point,  and  spread 
like  an  inverted  cone.  I noticed  no  contrac- 
tion of  the  skin  or  effort  of  any  sort  on  the 
part  of  the  worm  when  it  sent  out  the  jet, 
and  it  followed  so  quickly  the  touch  that  I 
should  say  it  was  involuntary.  The  ejection 
was  not  irritating  to  the  skin,  and  had  no 
odor  except  an  earthy  smell  such  as  one  no- 
tices when  an  earthworm  is  put  on  a fish- 
hook.” (April  21,  1891.) 


BY IV AYS  OF  AN  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  209 


“In  New  Nganda  saw  a young  specimen 
of  what  I take  to  be  an  albino  monkey.  It 
was  distinctly  white,  but  that  yellowing  or 
reddish  white  peculiar  to  albinos.”  (1891.) 

VISIT  TO  THE  CAVE  BUDIA  (SYEKI  NAME) 

“While  spending  a night  at  the  Orungu 
town  Nengawaga,  about  sixty  miles  below 
Kangwe,  I learned  of  the  existence  of  a re- 
markable cave  a mile  or  two  above.  I at 
once  asked  the  chief  to  give  me  some  one  to 
show  me  the  way,  and  he  promptly  offered  to 
go  himself,  and  so  did,  accompanied  by  quite 
a large  party  of  his  people.  We  pulled  up 
first  about  one  and  a half  miles  to  Anyam- 
hicawango,  landed,  and  got  a slave  to  agree 
to  guide  us  for  a small  consideration.  A 
number  of  boys  and  young  men  having 
joined  us,  we  set  out  on  foot  for  the  cave. 
I found  it  a real  curiosity.  About  a mile 
brought  us  to  the  orove  mi  talco  (tobacco 
prairie),  much  of  which  is  bare  rock  and  of 
an  unusual  character  for  this  country.  All 
rocks  in  the  region  seem  to  be  sedimentary, 


210 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


but  vary  greatly  in  hardness.  This  one, 
when  wet,  is  covered  with  a slime  as  slippery 
as  soap,  which,  where  it  was  dried,  formed  a 
black,  wrinkled  scum  not  unlike  tobacco  in 
appearance,  though  utterly  unlike  in  flavor. 
The  people  are  said  to  use  it  as  a substi- 
tute, however,  when  they  are  hard  up  for  the 
weed. 

“ At  last  we  reach  one  of  the  entrances  to 
the  cave.  It  is  at  the  foot  of  a steep  decliv- 
ity, and  looks  like  a big  hole  formed  by  a 
cave-in  of  surface  rocks.  Lighting  our  lamps, 
we  are  soon  on  the  floor  of  the  cavern,  upon 
which  still  lay  the  rocks  whose  falling  in 
made  this  entrance.  To  the  north  and  south 
start  galleries  which  soon  come  to  an  end; 
but  a low  one,  leading  in  a westerly  direction, 
intersects  the  main  gallery  at  right  angles. 
From  there  we  start  into  the  darkness  nearly 
due  north.  The  first  thing  that  strikes  me  is 
a dull,  peculiar  roar  like  the  noise  of  a power- 
ful wind  rushing  through  a rocky  mountain 
gorge.  You  can  hardly  believe  it  is  only 
bats,  but  soon  you  will ; for  as  you  go  on  you 
start  them  from  their  resting-place  on  the 


BYIVAYS  OF  AN  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  211 


roof  by  thousands,  and  the  air,  as  you  look 
towards  a light,  appears  full  of  their  dark 
forms.  The  floor  of  the  cave,  where  water 
has  not  cleared  it  away,  is  covered  to  a depth 
of  four  to  six  inches  with  a black  mass  which 
feels  under  the  bare  feet  like  accumulated 
soot.  It  is  the  excrement  of  myriads  of  bats. 
Through  and  over  this  crawl  the  larvse  of 
two  species  of  beetles,  and  everywhere  may 
be  seen  hopping  about  a long-legged  and 
rather  feeble-looking  cricket.  These,  with 
countless  small  flies,  gnats,  and  mosquito-like 
insects,  which  did  not  appear  to  bite,  make 
up  the  life  of  the  cave.  The  bats  were  of 
two  species.  One  was  a little  larger  than 
the  common  American  bat.  This  filled  the 
whole  interior  of  the  cavern.  A few  of  a 
larger  species,  their  wings  having  a spread 
of  more  than  a foot,  were  seen  near  the  en- 
trance. 

“On  one  side  usually  ran  the  stream  of 
water.  The  floor  of  the  cave  is  a talcose  clay 
or  slate,  so  soft  that  it  is  difficult  to  say 
whether  it  is  clay  or  rock ; but  it  is  sedimen- 
tary  and  in  distinct  strata.  Above  this  are 


212 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


strata  of  rocks  of  a peculiar  porous  character. 
Much  of  it,  I feel  sure,  would  serve  for  drip- 
stone. It  seemed  as  light  as  chalk,  and  some 
of  it  looked  as  if  formed  of  a mass  of  minute 
shells.  It  was  certainly  sedimentary,  for  it 
was  full  of  water-worn  pebbles  of  various 
colors,  and  in  some  pieces  I brought  away 
there  are  distinct  fossils.  The  roof  was  of 
course  a border  rock,  and  the  cave  is  simply 
the  course  of  an  underground  stream  which 
has  hollowed  out  for  itself  a channel  in  this 
soft  rock.  The  main  gallery  varies  from  ten 
feet  in  height  and  width  to  twenty  or  even 
thirty  feet.  A gallery  about  midway  of  the 
main  one  comes  in  from  the  east  and,  judging 
from  the  stream  of  water  issuing  from  it,  is 
quite  long.  Its  entrance  is  only  about  two 
and  a half  feet  high,  and,  owing  to  our  com- 
pany getting  divided  and  frightened,  I could 
not  explore  it  far. 

“ In  the  north  end  of  the  main  gallery  our 
guide  pointed  to  an  entrance  beyond  which, 
he  said,  were  leopards.  He  hurried  away, 
pretending  to  be  afraid.  I called  my  boys  to 
follow  me  on  a tour  of  investigation.  An 


BYWAYS  OF  AN  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  213 


examination  of  this  supposed  leopards’  den 
showed  no  tracks  except  of  dogs  and  men, 
who  had  been  there  killing  bats.  The  slaves 
eat  these  bats,  which  they  knock  down  with 
clubs.  Some  one  had  found  that  in  this  par- 
ticular cavern,  which  gradually  became  lower 
and  narrower  as  we  proceeded,  the  bats  were 
driven  before  him  until  the  air  was  thick 
with  them  and  the  bat-catcher  could  bag  all 
the  game  he  wanted.  The  ‘ leopard  ’ was  an 
invention  to  keep  others  from  sharing  his 
discovery.  I went  until  I could  see  the  end, 
and  I saw  nothing  more  dangerous  than  bats. 
How  they  did  swarm ! I had  to  hold  my 
hand  before  my  face  as  I advanced.  Dozens 
of  them  struck  me  all  over  the  body  every 
moment,  and  a score  or  more  were  clinging 
to  different  parts  of  my  person.  A rough 
measurement  of  the  cave  gave  a length  of 
three  hundred  and  fifty  yards. 

“ Here  I saw  an  amusing  illustration  of  the 
African’s  ignorance  of  arithmetic  beyond  ad- 
dition and  subtraction.  A vine  was  taken 
into  the  cave  to  measure  its  length.  The 
main  gallery  from  north  to  south  entrance 


214 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


was  thirty-two  lengths  of  our  vine.  After 
we  came  out,  a native  measured  it  by  stretch- 
ing his  arms  horizontally,  thus  giving  the 
length  of  his  two  arms  plus  the  width  of  his 
body.  This  gives  one  fathom,  or  six  feet, 
with  a fair  degree  of  accuracy.  I laid  the 
vine  on  the  ground  and  paced  its  length,  mak- 
ing it  eleven  yards,  agreeing  with  the  native’s 
measurement.  ‘ Now,’  said  1, 1 our  rope  is  five 
and  a half  fathoms  long,  and  the  cave  was 
thirty-two  times  its  length ; how  many 
fathoms  long  is  the  cave  ? ’ They  could  not 
see  how  it  could  be  made  out.  When  I told 
them  at  once  three  hundred  and  fifty-two 
yards,  they  thought  I must  be  guessing.  I 
said,  ‘ Count  it  up  and  see  if  I am  not  right.’ 
They  studied  over  it  awhile,  then  one  said  he 
could  do  it.  He  picked  up  the  vine  and 
started  to  measure  it  off  again  in  fathoms. 
When  I found  that  he  intended  to  pass  that 
vine  through  his  hands  thirty-two  times, 
counting  up  as  he  went  along,  I told  him 
that  his  arithmetic  was  too  slow  for  me,  as 
I wanted  to  get  back  to  my  dinner  before 
night.”  (November,  1890.) 


BY IV AYS  OF  AN  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  215 


A HIDEOUS  INCIDENT  FROM  THE  OGOWE 

“ At  Arevoma  I was  shown  the  evidence  of 
a fiendish  act  of  cruelty.  A man  belonging 
to  a village  just  above  Arevoma  had  married 
a woman  of  Afangananga’s  tribe,  so  far  as 
giving  the  dowry.  The  woman  disliked  him, 
however,  and  wanted  the  marriage  broken. 
This  gave  the  prospective  husband  an  excuse 
for  claiming  several  times  as  much  back  as 
he  had  paid.  This  was  refused,  and  the 
woman  was  compelled  to  marry  him.  She 
went  and,  as  far  as  I could  learn,  did  nothing 
out  of  the  way ; but  he  caught  her  one  morn- 
ing, compelling  a slave  by  threats  of  death  to 
help  him,  and  cut  off  her  ears,  nose,  and  lips 
clear  around  the  mouth,  leaving  her  horribly 
disfigured.  Thus  he  sent  her  home.  Her 
mother  he  struck  a blow  across  the  eyes  that 
put  her  blind.  And  this  human  fiend  was 
allowed  to  settle  for  all  his  cruelty  by  pay- 
ment of  a fine  of  five  times  the  price  of  a 
slave.  There  would  be  some  comfort  in  even 
this  if  the  payment  went  to  the  injured 


216 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


women;  but  it  all  goes  to  the  men  of  the 
family.”  (November,  1890.) 

AFRICAN  IDEAS  OF  JUSTICE — TWO  GABOON 
STORIES 

“ One  night,  some  years  ago,  a leopard  killed 
a very  fine  calf  for  Rev.  William  Walker,  of 
the  mission,  but  was  discovered  and  driven 
off  before  it  had  time  to  eat  or  carry  it  away. 
The  same  night  the  chief  man  of  one  of  the 
little  towns  that  make  up  Gaboon  had  a very 
fine  pig  taken  by  a leopard,  presumably  the 
same  one.  Next  morning  the  man  came  to 
Mr.  W.  and  wanted  him  to  pay  him  for  his 
hog.  Why?  Because,  as  he  argued,  if  the 
leopard  had  been  allowed  to  eat  the  calf  it 
would  not  have  taken  the  hog.  Mr.  W.  by 
driving  it  away  from  the  calf  became  directly 
responsible  for  its  taking  the  pig,  and  so 
ought  to  pay  for  it. 

“When  the  explorer  Cameron  was  either 
in  Gaboon  or  somewhere  on  this  part  of  the 
coast,  a native  of  means  was  attracted  by 
some  of  his  goods  and  began  to  take  measures 


BY IV AYS  OF  AN  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  217 


to  get  them.  He  paid  a man  two  hundred 
dollars  to  steal  them  for  him.  The  man  went 
and  tried,  hut  Mr.  C.  had  perversely  locked 
them  up  where  it  was  impossible  to  get  them ; 
but  he  did  not  want  to  lose  his  two  hundred 
dollars,  so  he  ran  off.  The  man  who  was  two 
hundred  dollars  short  by  the  transaction  then 
came  to  Cameron  and  told  him  the  whole 
story,  and  demanded  of  him,  first,  the  two 
hundred  dollars  which  he  had  caused  the  com- 
plainant to  lose  by  locking  up  his  goods,  and, 
second,  the  price  of  the  goods  he  had  put 
out  of  the  thief’s  reach  and  which  our  cheeky 
native  friend  had  thereby  been  made  to  lose.” 

VISIT  TO  THE  DWARFS 

[The  publication  of  the  following  account 
fell  under  the  eye  of  a Scotch  lady,  who  was 
moved  to  provide  the  means  for  founding  a 
mission  to  these  “ little  people,”  and  two  men 
have  undertaken  the  difficult  experiment  of 
giving  them  the  gospel.] 

“ The  second  day  from  Batanga  I struck  a 
village  of  the  famous  dwarfs.  As  everybody 


218 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


knows,  it  is  only  by  a rare  chance  that  one 
ever  gets  a sight  of  these  little  people.  They 
are  found  all  over  this  part  of  Africa,  but 
live  much  as  the  Gipsies  do  with  us — scat- 
tered among  many  tribes,  belonging  to  none. 
Other  peoples  live  by  agriculture.  Though 
much  engaged  in  hunting  and  fishing,  what 
they  kill  is  a small  part  of  their  living ; it  is 
on  their  gardens  that  they  mainly  depend. 

“The  dwarfs  are  not  so.  They  live  by 
the  chase  and  on  such  wild  fruits  and  edible 
leaves  as  are  found  in  the  forest;  but  they 
are  as  fond  of  cassava,  plantains,  etc.,  as 
other  Africans.  They  want  vegetable  food, 
but  do  not  wish  to  work  for  it.  How  are  they 
to  get  it?  I am  happy  to  say  they  are  not 
charged  with  stealing  from  their  neighbors’ 
gardens.  It  is  admitted  on  all  hands  that 
they  are  remarkably  honest.  Here  is  their 
mode  of  life : They  attach  themselves  to  some 
town  of  Fang,  or  Mabeya,  or  whatever  tribe 
occupies  the  country.  They  are  skilful 
hunters,  and  if  there  is  game  to  be  had  they 
will  get  it.  When  hungry  for  vegetable  food, 
they  take  their  game  to  the  town  and  ex- 


BYWAYS  OF  AN  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  219 


change  it  for  what  they  want.  This  arrange- 
ment seems  so  satisfactory  to  both  parties 
that  often  a family  of  dwarfs  will  maintain 
such  an  alliance  with  a town  of  their  stronger 
neighbors  for  generations.  The  dwarfs  are 
themselves  a timid,  harmless  people — at  least, 
those  found  in  this  part  of  Africa.  I am  as- 
sured they  never  pretend  to  fight  for  their 
rights.  When  people  to  whom  they  have  at- 
tached themselves  do  them  a wrong  which 
they  are  disposed  to  resent,  they  simply 
move  away  and  seek  alliance  with  some  other 
town.  It  is  considered  an  advantage  to  have 
them  as  neighbors.  Their  towns  are  not 
permanent,  merely  rude  sheds,  which  they 
occupy  only  while  game  lasts  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  so  constantly  move  from  place 
to  place  that  even  their  friends  hardly  know 
sometimes  where  to  find  them. 

“ But  if  the  stronger  tribes  do  not  rob  or 
kill  them,  they  certainly  take  advantage  of 
their  ignorance  of  the  world.  They  supply 
them  with  cloth,  guns,  powder,  spears,  at 
such  prices  as  they  choose  to  ask,  and  they 
take  good  care  that  ‘their  dwarfs’  come  in 


220 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


contact  with  no  one  who  will  tell  them  how 
they  are  being  cheated.  Here  comes  in  the 
difficulty  of  seeing  them.  You  ask  to  be 
shown  a town  of  the  dwarfs.  The  people 
pretend  to  be  most  willing,  but  they  explain 
that  the  dwarfs  have  never  seen  a white  man 
and  will  be  afraid ; they  must  go  in  advance 
and  prepare  them.  Their  real  object  is  to  see 
that  they  run  away.  If  one  comes  upon  a 
dwarf  village  in  the  forest  himself, — a most 
unlikely  thing, — the  stories  the  dwarfs  have 
been  told  about  the  dreadful  white  man  will 
send  them  flying  in  all  directions.  Had  I 
asked  the  Mabeya  to  show  me  ‘ their  dwarfs,’ 
I would  have  asked  in  vain ; they  would  have 
hit  upon  some  scheme  for  keeping  me  away ; 
but  I happened  to  have  a young  guide  who 
was  very  impetuous.  As  we  were  trudging 
through  the  forest,  I noticed  a newly  beaten 
track  leading  off  from  the  main  path,  and  at 
the  same  moment  heard  voices  at  no  great 
distance.  I asked  in  surprise,  ‘Who  made 
that  path?’  Without  taking  time  to  think, 
he  replied,  ‘ There  is  a town  of  dwarfs  there.’ 
Then  I had  him  fast,  ...  I found  the  dwarfs 


BYWAYS  OF  AN  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  221 


at  home  to  the  number  of  fifty  or  sixty,  and 
not  so  badly  frightened,  after  all,  which  I at- 
tribute to  the  fact  that  they  had  not  been 
‘ prepared  ’ for  my  visit. 

“The  village  was  evidently  newly  built; 
the  thatch  was  still  comparatively  fresh.  The 
spot  selected  for  their  village  was  well  chosen ; 
the  ground  was  high  and  well  drained,  and  a 
fair-sized  stream  of  beautifully  clear  water 
flowed  close  by.  I could  have  enjoyed  spend- 
ing a few  days  in  such  a camp  myself ; but  to 
spend  one’s  life  in  such  encampments, — no 
clearing,  no  open  country,  no  sunlight,  no 
outlook  beyond  the  shadowy  forest  glades, — 
the  thought  was  enough  for  me.  I have  pic- 
tured only  the  reality.  How  can  these  people 
ever  see  clear  sunlight  ! They  can,  of  course, 
wade  out  into  the  middle  of  some  stream 
wide  enough  not  to  be  overshadowed  by  trees, 
or  find  a place  where  a large  tree  has  fallen 
and  carried  down  with  it  a number  of  its 
lesser  neighbors,  thus  letting  the  sunlight 
through  to  earth ; but  practically  these  people 
only  see  the  sun  as  they  get  dim  glimpses  of 
it  through  the  trees.  Their  houses  are  simply 


222 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


sheds.  Poles  are  placed  with  one  end  on  the 
ground,  the  other  resting  on  a horizontal  pole 
supported  on  posts  four  or  five  feet  from  the 
ground.  Across  these  poles  small  sticks  are 
laid,  like  lath  on  a roof,  and  on  these  the 
large  leaves  that  serve  as  shingles.  You 
would  imagine  that  such  a roof  would  leak ; 
but  when  well  made  it  is  really  wonderful 
how  it  will  turn  water.  These  houses  are  ten 
to  twelve  feet  from  front  to  back,  and  any- 
where from  ten  to  twenty-five  feet  long. 
Sometimes  the  ends  are  partly  closed  by  set- 
ting up  branches  of  trees  against  the  roof. 
The  front  is  always  open. 

“ I found  a number  of  Mabeya  in  their  en- 
campment, exchanging  cassava  for  game. 
They  seemed  rather  put  out  at  seeing  me 
there,  but  the  dwarfs  appeared  rather  pleased. 
They  gathered  around  and  gazed  in  speech- 
less wonder ; but  I doubt  whether  their  curi- 
osity was  greater  than  mine.  Could  I talk 
to  them  ? I tried  Bulu  on  them ; they  replied 
modestly  that  they  did  not  know  Bulu,  but 
as  they  spoke  in  a language  very  like  the 
Fang  of  the  Ogowg,  I felt  at  home  at  once. 


BYWAYS  OF  Ah!  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  223 


A big  and  very  consequential  Mabeya  came 
up  and  offered  to  interpret  my  Bulu  into 
Mabeya;  but  I promptly  declined  his  ser- 
vices, and  I had  no  difficulty  in  making  my- 
self understood.  They  answered  questions 
about  themselves  without  hesitation.  One 
little  old  man  seemed  especially  intelligent 
and  fearless.  I put  the  question  to  him 
plainly,  ‘ Why  do  you  live  here  in  the  bush 
like  this,  and  never  come  to  see  the  white 
man  ? ’ He  replied,  with  a side  wink  towards 
the  Mabeya,  1 These  people  will  not  allow  us 
to  see  the  white  man.’  I spent  most  of  my 
time  trying  to  solve  a question,  the  answer 
to  which  I have  been  seeking  for  years,  viz. : 
Do  the  dwarfs  have  a language  of  their  own, 
or  do  they  speak  the  language  of  the  tribe 
with  which  they  associate  themselves  ? Other 
tribes  answer  the  question  both  ways;  but 
while  I was  among  them  I heard  nothing  but 
Mabeya  and  Fang. 

“ These  dwarfs  did  not  fit  any  description 
I have  ever  read  of  African  pygmies.  Some 
of  them  must  have  been  five  feet  or  more  in 
height ; still,  they  were  distinctly  dwarfed  in 


224 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


stature.  They  were  a lighter  tint  than  the 
surrounding  tribes,  but  I could  see  no  sign 
of  the  yellowish  or  reddish  growth  of  hair  on 
the  body,  of  which  some  travelers  have 
spoken.  Certainly  these  dwarfs  were  the 
lowest  specimens  of  the  human  race  I have 
yet  encountered.  Their  jaws  were  much  too 
large ; their  foreheads  and  tops  of  their  heads 
seemed  irregular  and  rough,  instead  of  smooth 
and  rounded.  The  lowness  of  their  foreheads 
was  emphasized  by  the  size  of  their  eyes ; the 
children  especially  seemed  to  have  eyes  like 
saucers.  The  eyebrows,  which  were  heavy, 
seemed  farther  above  the  eye  than  in  other 
races.  You  can  imagine  the  result.  The 
eyebrows  seemed  to  be  in  the  middle  of  the 
forehead,  and,  worst  of  all,  the  brows  did  not 
in  cases  appear  to  be  set  on  straight ; the  two 
eyebrows  on  the  same  person  did  not,  in 
some  cases,  seem  to  have  the  same  slant. 
This  must  have  been  a mistake  on  my  part, 
but  it  certainly  seemed  to  me  so.  The  upper 
part  of  their  bodies  was  strong  enough,  but 
the  abdomen  was  far  too  large  for  symmetry, 
and  their  legs  were  crooked  and  weak. 


BY IV AYS  OF  AN  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  225 


“ On  the  whole,  my  visit  to  the  dwarfs  left 
on  my  mind  a feeling  of  sadness.  I tried  to 
learn  something  of  their  religious  ideas,  but 
could  not  find  that  they  differed  from  those 
of  the  Mabeya. 

“ I am  told  that  far  back  of  the  Bulu  there 
is  a country  occupied  by  dwarfs  alone.  Cer- 
tainly there  are  in  Africa  a vast  number  of 
these  weak,  harmless  people,  and  the  Chris- 
tian cannot  but  ask,  How  long  will  it  take 
the  slowly  dawning  light  to  reach  these  chil- 
dren of  nature  skulking  with  the  beasts  in 
the  shades  of  these  mighty  forests  ? 

“ One  more  curious  fact.  It  is  freely  ad- 
mitted by  other  tribes  that  the  sea  was  first 
discovered  by  the  dwarfs,  while  the  people 
now  on  the  coast  were  still  far  back  in  the 
forest  and  did  not  know  there  was  such  a 
thing  as  the  sea.”  (Batanga,  July,  1893.) 


MISCELLANEOUS  SAYINGS  AMONG  THE  BULU 

Proverbs. — You  set  an  ngombo  (a  basket  for 
catching  fish),  you  think  of  ghosts  (because 
such  baskets  are  set  at  night  in  lonely  places). 


226 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


The  dead  trunk  of  the  otunga  (a  species  of 
tree)  has  broken  down  the  trunk  of  the  odii 
(a  larger  and  stronger  tree);  (i.e.,  a man  of 
small  importance  has  caused  the  death  of  an 
important  man). 

As  you  despise  a stick  (or  log),  it  hurts  or 
strikes  your  leg. 

The  buffalo  that  catches  you  in  the  street 
of  your  fathers,  is  it  not  goats  that  are  in  the 
street  of  your  fathers’  town  ? 

An  Oath. — Destruction ! (A  call  to  all  the 
dead.)  I swear  by  the  dead.  I swear  by  (my) 
father.  I swear  by  (my)  mother.  Another 
form  of  oath  is : I swear  by  the  people  who 
have  perished  (equivalent  to,  the  dead). 

Ideas  of  God. — Bisi  Zam  ele — The  seats  of 
God  are  there.  (Said  when  calling  attention 
to  brilliant  cloud  effects.)  Endi  Zam  ele — The 
roof  of  God  is  there.  (Used  in  the  same  way.) 

If  Zam  speaks,  there  is  no  longer  any  medi- 
cine that  will  avail.  If  Zam  wishes  to  heal 
people,  medicine  is  useless. 

O Zam,  thou  hast  made  us ; why,  then,  do  you 
take  away  an  only  wife?  (Such  complaints 
common,  but  no  one  openly  abuses  Zam.) 


BY IV AYS  OF  AN  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  227 


Had  it  not  been  for  Zam,  this  would  not 
have  been  accomplished  (lit.,  arranged). 

Zam  ate  nye  ni , ane  mone  Zam — God  has 
saved  him,  he  is  a son  of  God.  (Said  of  one  who 
has  experienced  some  remarkable  deliverance.) 

I will  not  occupy  the  place  of  a king;  I 
will  occupy  the  place  of  Zam  (i.e.,  the  place 
Zam  assigns  me),  because  Zam,  who  has 
made  us  all,  he  says,  Be  so.  (Language  of 
one  who  has  been  disappointed  in  not  being 
chosen  chief.) 

One  who  is  hopelessly  afflicted  is  called 
Ndenden.  Of  such  an  one  it  is  said : God  him- 
self has  afflicted  him.  (Said  especially  of  a 
cripple.) 

A prayer:  Zam,  do  not  take  me  (i.e.,  by 
death)  till  I have  first  eaten  that  food.  (Such 
a prayer  is  likely  to  be  uttered  by  one  who 
sees  that  his  garden  is  going  to  give  a good 
crop.)  Other  examples  of  petition : Zam,  do 
not  take  me  till  I first  see  how  my  son  will 
turn  out  (lit.,  how  he  will  hunt).  Zam,  let 
me  first  marry,  let  me  first  have  a child. 

When  a boy  curses  an  old  man,  or  steals,  or 
any  man  does  wrong,  he  is  often  reproved  by 


228 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


saying  to  him : Zam  ayi  yene  wo  abe — Giod 
will  not  like  you,  or,  will  be  displeased  with 
you.  One  who  is  wronged  often  says:  God 
will  revenge  me  on  high. 

Not  all  will  “ see”  good  in  the  world  to  come ; 
some  will  live  in  “ God’s  town,”  which  is  re- 
garded as  a great  good ; but  bad  people  will 
not  be  allowed  to  stop  in  God’s  town,  but  will 
be  compelled  to  pass  to  a place  called  Etoto- 
len,  a place  of  exile ; as,  when  one  is  carried 
away  over  the  sea  to  unknown  countries  from 
which  he  can  never  return,  nor  see  his  people 
again,  he  is  said  to  have  gone  to  Etotolen. 
Another  version  is  that  all  must  pass  over  a 
high,  narrow  bridge  across  a deep,  wide  stream. 
Over  this  the  good  successfully  pass,  but  the 
bad  fall  into  Etotolen.  I heard  this  version 
only  once.  A bad  man  is  told : You  cannot 
live  in  the  place  where  God  lives. 

Of  a cripple  it  is  said : There  remains  for 
him  only  to  go  and  meet  Zam ; he  has  become 
a person  of  “ on  high  ” ; he  no  longer  amounts 
to  anything  as  a man. 

The  rainbow  at  first  lived  in  this  world. 
When  he  went  to  Zam  above,  he  went  because 


BYWAYS  OF  AN  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  229 


he  had  caught  people.  Men  cut  him  in  two. 
The  tail  turned  into  the  python.  Black  spots 
on  the  python’s  skin  are  said  to  be  skins  of 
people  he  ate  while  still  the  rainbow.  The 
rainbow,  called  the  snake  of  Zam,  is  said 
to  come  to  earth  occasionally  at  waterfalls. 
When  seen  in  such  places,  children  are  warned 
not  to  go  near  lest  he  eat  them. 

Fabulous  Stories  about  Peoples  in  the  Inte- 
rior.— Back  somewhere  east  of  the  Bulu  are 
said  to  be  the  Biyamos,  a people  who  sleep 
by  day  and  work  and  travel  at  night. 

There  are  Ye-Mefap,  a people  said  to  have 
wings.  There  are  Bemfamelede,  called  also 
Bilatata,  a Siamese-twins  sort  of  people, 
always  in  couples,  joined  together  back  to 
back.  In  Minjem,  people  spend  most  of  the 
time  by  day  scattered  in  the  tree-tops.  They 
come  down  to  build,  make  gardens,  etc.,  but 
as  a rule  only  come  to  town  at  night.  A full- 
sized,  warlike  people,  who  fight  from  their 
tree-tops.  Said  to  be  very  black. 

The  Bifaifai  are  a people  whose  heads  are 
flattened  both  behind  and  before,  hence  called 
also  Bibambam. 


230 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


As  a specimen  of  the  original  ancestral 
tales  from  which  the  “ Uncle  Remus  ” stories 
have  unquestionably  descended,  the  follow- 
ing has  a special  literary  value. 

A BULU  FABLE — THE  LEOPARD  AND  THE 
PYTHON 

[Among  the  Bulu  there  is  a custom  that 
whoever  has  a palaver  with  one  whom  he 
fears  may  go  to  a third  party  and  say,  “Song” 
which  is  equivalent  to  saying,  “ I put  my 
palaver  in  your  hands.”  This  third  party 
then  presses  his  claim,  not  only  collecting  the 
debt  or  damages  claimed  by  the  aggrieved 
party,  but  enough  more  to  pay  himself.] 

The  leopard  said  to  the  turtle,  “All  the 
animals  of  the  forest  I have  caught,  save  only 
the  python.  Song — catch  him  for  me.”  “ All 
right,”  said  the  turtle;  “go  to  your  town.” 
When  the  leopard  had  gone,  the  python  came 
and  said  to  the  turtle,  “ All  the  animals  of 
the  forest  I have  caught,  save  only  one,  the 
leopard.  SSng — catch  him  for  me.”  “All 
right,”  said  the  turtle;  “go  to  your  town.” 


BYIVAYS  OF  4N  INDUSTRIOUS  LIFE  231 

When  the  python  was  gone,  the  turtle 
thought  the  matter  over,  and  dug  a deep  pit 
in  the  bushes  near  his  house.  This  he  covered 
over  carefully  and  awaited  the  coining  of  his 
clients.  The  python  came  wriggling  up  and 
said,  “Where  is  the  leopard  I asked  you  to 
catch  for  me  ? ” The  turtle  whispered,  “ Don’t 
speak  again.  There  is  the  leopard  coming. 
Run  and  hide  there  ” (pointing  the  way  of  the 
trap).  Hurrying  to  hide  himself  in  the 
bushes,  crash ! went  the  python  into  the  pit. 
The  turtle  came  and  said,  “ Don’t  dare  to 
speak,  lest  the  leopard  hear  you ; you  are  in 
a safe  place,”  and  carefully  covered  the  pit 
over  again.  Then  the  leopard  came,  to  whom 
the  turtle  said,  “ Run ! hide  there  quick ! I 
see  the  python  coming  over  there.”  He,  too, 
running  to  hide  himself,  crashed  through  the 
treacherous  cover  into  the  pit.  The  python 
cried,  “What’s  that?”  The  leopard  cried, 
“What’s  that?”  The  python  coiled  for  a 
spring;  the  leopard  stood  with  opened  jaws 
and  paws  uplifted,  ready  to  meet  the  dreaded 
enemy.  Then  from  the  mouth  of  the  pit 
came  the  mocking  voice  of  the  turtle : “ Leop- 


232 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


ard,  you  asked  me  to  catch  the  python  for 
you.  You,  python,  asked  me  to  catch  for  you 
the  leopard.  I have  caught  you  both.  You 
are  in  the  pit,  both  of  you.  Make  the  best 
of  it.”  And  at  it  they  both  went,  and  fought 
till  they  fell  apart,  both  dead. 

Of  course  this  is  not  a literal  translation  of 
the  original ; indeed,  to  translate  the  wonder- 
fully concise  and  graphic  style  of  these  fables 
is  impossible.  But  this  is  a sample  of  the 
stories  which  these  people  have  told  over, 
generation  after  generation,  for  who  knows 
how  many  centuries  1 These  childish  tales, 
when  well  told,  have  a charm  and  fascination 
that  no  written  story  can  ever  have.  The 
leopard  does  not  simply  come  up — his  stately 
tread  is  imitated;  so,  too,  the  wriggling  of 
the  serpent,  the  crash  as  they  fall  into  the 
pit;  and  when  they  fight,  the  story-teller’s 
teeth  seem  to  become  fangs,  his  fingers  claws, 
his  arms  are  the  python’s  deadly  coils,  and 
his  voice  growls  and  groans  until  one  can 
almost  fancy  the  creatures  engaged  in  a 
death-struggle  before  his  eyes.  (Efulen,  1894.) 


CHAPTER  XIII 


Roughing  it  in  the  Bush 
1893 

IN  anticipation  of  introducing  the  coming 
recruits  to  the  interior,  there  was  much 
to  be  done:  studying  Bulu  when  nothing 
else;  casually  picking  up  Banaka  speech, 
useful  with  carriers ; especially  making  more 
trips  inland  by  which  to  win  the  confidence 
not  only  of  Bulu,  but  also  Mabeya,  who  were 
afraid  this  passing  beyond  through  their 
towns  meant  losing  their  trade.  On  each  re- 
appearance among  them,  the  white  man  was 
greeted  with  diminishing  suspicion.  Few 
now  asked  the  question,  “What  are  you 
seeking  for  ! ” But  as  he  came  closer  to  the 
people,  notwithstanding  all  his  previous 
knowledge  of  Africans,  Dr.  Good  was  pro- 
foundly impressed  with  their  unspeakable  im- 

233 


234 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


morality.  “ I cannot  lift  the  veil.”  That  the 
gospel  is  the  power  of  God  was  his  only  confi- 
dence. “ Of  one  thing  I am  certain.  There  is 
no  remedy  but  God’s  great  remedy  for  sin. 
And  that  that  will  avail  I have  already  been 
permitted  to  see.  The  Galwa  of  the  Ogowe, 
while  less  savage,  were  once  much  more 
superstitious  and  hardly  less  immoral  than 
these  Bulu.  I did  not  see  them  until  they 
had  been  greatly  changed  by  the  influence 
of  the  gospel,  but  I had  abundant  testimony 
as  to  what  they  had  been.  And  I have  seen 
hundreds  of  those  Galwa  come  to  Christ  and 
become,  if  not  saints,  at  least  as  different 
from  what  they  were  as  darkness  is  from 
light.  The  degradation  of  the  Bulu  has 
shocked  me,  because  I have  seen  it  in  all  its 
shameless  nakedness.  Pray  that  I may  be 
permitted  to  see  even  these  brought  to  the 
feet  of  Jesus  and  clothed  in  his  likeness.” 
The  first  bush  for  the  new  station  was  cut 
June  5,  on  the  hill  afterwards  named,  at  the 
suggestion  of  a Bulu  woman,  “Efulen”1—  a 
mingling.  The  missionaries  had  come  to 

1 Pronounced  “a-full'en.” 


ROUGHING  IT  IN  THE  BUSH 


235 


settle  all  palavers  and  bring  together  (mingle) 
all  kinds  of  people.  Within  a few  weeks 
after  it  was  occupied,  Batanga,  Mabeya,  Ban- 
aka,  Galwa  from  the  Ogowe,  and  Bulu  were 
all  working  together  on  Efulen  Hill. 

Batanga  men  were  first  set  to  making  a 
small  clearing,  and  then  left  to  put  up  a bark 
house,  native  style,  for  a first  temporary 
shelter.  The  Bulu  promised,  on  their  part, 
to  build  the  indispensable  palaver  house, 
which  serves  all  the  purposes  of  restaurant, 
club-house,  court,  and  city  hall ; in  this  case 
it  was  to  be  also  the  house  of  prayer. 

The  expected  three  men  for  the  interior 
having  arrived,  Dr.  Good  wrote  to  his  strong 
backers  in  Montclair:  “They  all  seem  well 
adapted  for  the  work  to  which  they  have 
come.  Pray  for  them,  as  you  have  prayed 
for  me,  that  they  may  be  long  spared  to  work 
for  the  Master,  a blessing  to  Africa  and  her 
perishing  millions.”  And,  about  to  march 
up-country,  he  wrote  to  the  Board:  “You 
cannot  move  too  fast  for  me.  I see  no  ob- 
stacle to  our  establishing  three  or  four  sta- 
tions as  fast  as  the  men  can  be  gotten  out,” 


236 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


In  Africa  there  are  always  obstacles.  The 
new  doctor  was  at  once  detained  at  the  coast, 
and  within  two  years  both  the  professional 
members  of  the  party  were  in  America,  on 
the  resignation  list.  But  that  event  was  for 
the  present  hid  from  their  eyes. 

Mr.  Matthew  Henry  Kerr  and  Bev.  B.  H. 
Milligan  went  up  with  Dr.  Good  and  reached 
the  mission  clearing  July  22.  The  one-roomed 
little  house  with  earth  floor  was  ready  for 
three  educated  white  men,  and  a tent  for  dry 
weather;  after  that,  they  had  nothing  but 
their  hands  and  tools  and  the  rich  primeval 
forest  surrounding  them,  from  which  huge 
tree-trunks  lay  felled  in  the  clearing.  The 
station  possessed  neither  table,  desk,  nor 
chair,  and  was  equally  destitute  of  furniture 
for  preaching  the  gospel.  There  was  not  a 
page  of  the  Bible  in  Bulu,  nor  one  hymn. 
Only  one  of  the  trio  could  even  imperfectly 
convey  the  message  of  God’s  Word.  He  was 
struggling  with  gaps  in  the  savage  language. 
How  express  the  idea  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  a 
people  whose  only  notion  of  “ spirit  ” is  the 
shadow  of  a living  man  or  the  ghost  o£  one 


ROUGHING  IT  IN  THE  BUSH 


237 


dead?  There  were  two  words  in  Bulu  for 
“ town,”  but  only  one  and  the  same  verb  for 
“to  believe,”  “to  trust,” and  “to  have  faith.” 
Mr.  Kerr  began  at  once  getting  out  planks 
with  a pit-saw,  and  whenever  it  was  in  motion 
he  was  the  center  of  a curious  and  smiling 
circle  of  Bulu.  After  six  weeks  the  Station 
were  able  to  elevate  themselves  off  from  their 
earth  floor,  so  dangerous  in  malarial  Africa, 
and  to  move,  though  still  in  one  cramped 
room,  into  a new  residence  built  on  posts 
three  to  four  feet  high,  with  bark  walls  and 
roof  of  bamboo  thatch.  It  was  completed 
by  the  middle  of  October,  affording  a private 
room  for  each  missionary,  a store-room,  and 
one  general  living-room,  which  occupied  the 
center  of  the  house  and  opened  on  a porch  at 
each  end.  The  floors  were  plank.  There  was 
neither  sash  nor  glass,  but  open  window- 
places,  protected  by  shutters.  Their  dining- 
table  was  a true  antique — a circular  slice  of 
a virgin  forest  tree,  with  the  bark  left  on, 
supported  on  stakes  for  legs.  A clay  fireplace 
was  constructed  in  the  “parlor,”  where  the 
weather  permitted  of  a fire  burning  most  of 


238 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


the  time.  Fuel  bills  were  at  zero,  and  no 
taxes  to  pay.  Dr.  Good,  by  dint  of  persever- 
ance, built  himself  a bedstead  and  stuffed 
his  mattress  with  native  corn-husks.  The 
poor  hard  soil  was  worked,  a variety  of  vege- 
tables planted,  and  banana  and  other  fruit 
trees  were  started. 

Efulen  commanded  a crystal  stream  of 
water,  and,  on  those  sides  not  walled  in  by 
forest,  a distant  view  of  grand  mountains. 
Workmen  were  paid  wages  of  sixteen  or  eigh- 
teen cents  a day,  and  the  house,  sixteen  by 
twenty-eight  feet,  cost  $52.80.  In  this  way 
Dr.  Good’s  purpose  to  give  an  object-lesson 
to  the  people  was  realized. 

“ On  the  coast  we  import  everything,  and 
the  natives  conclude  that  to  be  civilized  they 
must  have  foreign  food,  foreign  furniture,  et 
cater  a , and  thus  native  industry  is  discour- 
aged. The  Bulu  think  God  has  given  us  our 
wealth,  and  scoff  at  the  idea  that  white  men 
make  cloth  and  furniture.  If  we  build  and 
furnish  our  houses  and  spread  our  tables 
from  the  resources  of  their  own  country,  we 
are  pointing  them  in  the  only  direction  in 


THE  EFULEN  HOUSE— MORNING  BARTER 
DR.  GOOD’S  ROOM  ON  THE  RIGHT. 
BULU  TOWN  OF  NKONEMEKAK. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


ROUGHING  IT  IN  THE  BUSH 


239 


which  there  is  hope  of  bettering  their  condi- 
tion. If  we  set  out  to  have  foreign  supplies, 
the  report  will  go  through  the  land  that  white 
men  have  come  with  inexhaustible  wealth ; 
but  if  we  make  the  least  possible  display  of 
foreign  goods,  raise  our  own  food  and  make 
our  furniture,  the  story  will  be  rehearsed  far 
and  wide  that  the  white  men  work  with  their 
hands,  even  make  gardens.  This  will  do 
more  to  correct  their  absurd  ideas  of  white 
men  than  years  of  preaching.” 

The  population  around  Efulen  was  not 
stagnant.  Native  traders  were  coming  and 
going.  Strangers  appeared  from  distant 
places,  so  that  preaching  at  Efulen  was  like 
preaching  to  the  inhabitants  for  a hundred 
miles  east  and  northeast. 

Development  of  the  station  was  going  on 
smoothly  when  news  from  his  wife  compelled 
Dr.  Good  to  hasten  to  the  beach.  He  had 
been  there  but  a week  when  a pursuing  mes- 
senger brought  tidings  that  Mr.  Milligan  was 
very  ill.  This  was  one  of  the  times  of  dilem- 
ma when  the  missionary  discussed  within 
himself  “ whether  my  duty  lies  there  or  with 


240 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


my  invalid  wife.”  He  left  Mrs.  Good  in  bed, 
under  tlie  doctor’s  care,  and,  with  the  roads 
at  their  worst,  made  a forced  march — a “ ter- 
rible ” journey  even  for  him.  The  only  way 
he  could  cross  some  of  the  swollen,  rushing 
torrents  was  by  climbing  trees  and  swinging 
himself  from  interlacing  branches  of  one  tree 
to  those  of  another  on  the  opposite  bank. 
But  difficulties  of  the  journey  were  naught 
compared  with  the  anxiety  in  his  breast.  His 
patient  was  five  weeks  in  bed  with  typhoid 
fever. 

Itineration  being  thus  prevented,  Bulu 
manuscript  multiplied.  A dictionary  was 
growing  fast.  By  October  two  hymns  would 
“ go  ” and  the  first  consecutive  passage  from 
the  Word  of  God  was  read  to  the  Sunday 
audience  (October  1).  It  was  a portion  of  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount.  What  conception 
did  those  bloody  men  receive  from  the  novel 
proclamation,  “ Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,” 
“ Blessed  are  the  peacemakers  ” ? 

At  this  stage  in  mastering  the  language,  Dr. 
Good’s  method  was  to  set  a Bulu  man  to  talk- 
ing and  stop  him  with  questions  whenever 


ROUGHING  IT  IN  THE  BUSH 


241 


he  used  a new  word.  That  would  result  in 
gaining  a general  idea,  spread  over  three  or 
four  terms.  The  hinge  of  the  task  was  then 
to  extricate  the  exact  meaning  in  each  of 
these  terms.  What  should  be  done  for  a 
word  to  express  thanks  and  thanksgiving? 
The  Bulu  had  no  word.  Christian  ideas  had 
no  expression,  because  they  had  no  place  in 
the  heart.  u Give  them  the  ideas,  and  they 
will  soon  find  expression  for  them.”  It  was 
therefore  his  purpose  to  translate  the  gospels 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  stop  there.  Some 
development  of  religious  language  might  be 
counted  upon  within  two  or  three  years,  when 
translation  of  the  whole  New  Testament 
would  be  in  order,  to  be  rounded  out  with  a 
revision  of  the  gospels. 

The  Bulu  tongue,  however,  was  well 
equipped  with  terms  for  sense-perceptions. 
A race  standing  guard,  through  suspicious 
generations,  against  human  foes  and  lurking 
beast  and  viper  in  the  twilight  of  the  forest 
had  developed  five  or  six  synonyms  for  the 
phrase  “ to  see.”  “ For  all  forms  of  evil  they 
have  a wealth  of  names  that  completely 


242 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


discounts  the  English.  ...  It  is  intensely 
interesting  to  stand  by  and  watch  the  regen- 
eration of  a language.” 

His  young  brethren  looked  on  admiringly 
as  from  the  lips  of  a wild  Bulu,  however  re- 
pulsive his  personal  presence,  his  enunciation 
changing  and  indistinct,  his  intellect  however 
dull,  word  by  word,  idiom  by  idiom,  was  cap- 
tured. Ask  the  expression  for  “my  gun,” 
and  the  answer  is  given ; then  ask  for  “ my 
guns,”  and  the  man  declares,  “I  have  only 
one.”  It  is  no  use  to  press  him  further.  He 
is  ready  to  call  all  his  wives  and  brothers  to 
testify  that  he  has  “ only  one  gun.”  Half  a 
dozen  Bulu  would  be  successively  played  out 
in  a morning  under  his  fire  of  questions, 
while  “ Dr.  Good  would  toil  on  till  night, 
never  once  losing  patience,  to  my1  know- 
ledge. . . . His  understanding  of  the  African 
people  and  his  discretion  in  dealing  with 
them  commanded  my  continual  respect  and 
admiration.  . . . He  could  learn  the  truth 
from  them  when  they  told  him  nothing  but 
lies.  He  might  ask  the  road  to  some  partic- 

1 Key.  R.  H.  Milligan. 


ROUGHING  IT  IN  THE  BUSH 


243 


ular  town,  and  they  would  tell  him  the  bold- 
est lies ; but  without  betraying  suspicion  he 
would  continue  to  question,  keeping  his  at- 
tention apparently  fixed  upon  the  chief 
speakers,  but  hearing  every  word  spoken  by 
others  aside.  At  last,  when  they  had  finished, 
he  would  start  off  in  the  right  direction,  leav- 
ing them  amazed  and  saying  among  them- 
selves, ‘This  white  man  has  very  powerful 
charms.’ 

“ One  day  a Bulu  chief  called  Ngombair,  a 
powerful  man,  came  to  our  station  storming 
furiously  against  the  white  man.  He  had 
been  sending  many  persons  for  medical  treat- 
ment without  paying  anything  for  medicine. 
Other  natives  paid  something,  but  he  pre- 
sumed upon  his  importance  until,  at  last,  we 
had  sent  his  patients  back  to  town  without 
treatment.  He  cursed  us  to  the  workmen 
upon  our  own  premises  and  roused  them 
against  us,  using  very  abusive  language.  Dr. 
Hood  heard  it  without  any  show  of  indigna- 
tion. Then,  with  a quiet  smile,  turning  to 
another  native,  he  asked : ‘ Is  this  Ngombair 
who  talks  in  this  way!  Is  this  the  wise  chief 


244 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


of  Nkonemekak  ? ’ Already  the  chief  began 
to  feel  ashamed.  Dr.  G-ood  talked  to  him  a 
few  minutes  in  a friendly  way,  and  soon  sent 
him  home  cheerful  and  praising  the  white 
man.  So  skilful  was  he  in  controlling  and 
quieting  their  savage  passions.” 

The  illness  of  his  wife  detained  Dr.  Good 
at  the  coast  for  some  weeks  towards  the  end 
of  1893.  “ All  goes  well  at  Efulen,”  he  wrote ; 

“ but  so  long  as  I alone  have  the  language, 
the  evangelistic  side,  the  most  important 
side,  of  our  work  must  depend  mostly  on 
myself.  And  yet  I sometimes  suspect  that  if  I 
should  never  he  able  to  go  hack , the  Master 
could  find  others  to  carry  on  this  work ! ” 

From  the  Ogowe  Dr.  Good  had  written  to 
his  wife  in  1888 : “ This  separation  is  to  be 
the  last,  or  I can’t  help  it.”  And  to  the  secre- 
tary : “ As  a rule,  I am  utterly  opposed  to 
such  separations ; only  the  weakness  of  our 
force  could  have  induced  me  to  consent.” 
Yet,  ever  since,  temporary  separations  from 
his  family  had  been  constant,  and,  at  the 
opening  of  1894,  he  was  again  face  to  face 
with  the  alternative.  Mission  meeting  was 


ROUGHING  IT  IN  THE  BUSH 


245 


at  hand;  their  trunks  were  packed  to  take 
the  invalid  to  America;  the  steamer  would 
soon  arrive.  Some  of  the  brethren  conferred 
together,  and  begged  him  to  stay  behind. 
Affairs  in  the  interior  were  not  in  a condition 
to  be  left  without  him.  It  was  true.  With 
prayer  and  searching  of  heart  he  consulted 
his  wife.  When  she  gave  her  full  consent 
for  him  to  remain,  he  said,  “ You  are  really 
helping  the  work  more  than  any  one  else.” 
He  sent  her  and  their  son,  in  company  with 
a missionary  lady,  to  Grand  Canary,  whence, 
as  the  season  advanced  towards  spring,  she 
might  safely  go  on  to  America.  He  watched 
the  disappearing  steamer,  and  plunged  into 
the  bush. 

Already,  only  six  months  after  the  station 
was  opened,  its  influence  had  begun  to  tell. 
There  were  certainly  no  converts  yet ; there 
was  not  even  one  of  whom  the  missionaries 
could  hope  that  he  would  soon  take  hold  on 
Christ ; but  there  were  good  signs. 

Every  Lord’s  day  brought  a company  of 
people  to  Efulen  Hill ; and  instead  of  staying 
away  after  their  curiosity  was  gratified,  the 


246 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


most  attentive  hearers  were  those  who  had 
heard  most.  The  part  of  the  gospel  message 
which  the  Bulu  seemed  to  grasp  first  was 
what  they  eminently  needed — “ peace  among 
men.”  Walking  through  a town  where  a 
palaver  was  being  talked,  Dr.  Glood  asked  in 
jest  if  the  palavers  were  not  all  finished  yet. 
“Can  palavers  ever  finish?”  one  of  them  re- 
plied; but  added,  “Were  we  ever  before  so 
long  without  killing  people  as  since  you 
came  ? ” “ And,  thinking  over  the  matter,  it 

is  true.  In  towns  about  Efulen  there  has 
been  no  attempt  at  bloodshed  since  the  station 
was  opened.  Women  have  eloped  or  been 
carried  off  under  circumstances  that  in  the 
old  days  would  have  led  to  bloodshed ; but,  in 
every  case  so  far,  it  has  been  avoided  out  of 
deference,  so  they  say,  to  our  teachings.”  A 
man  from  the  Ntum  tribe,  three  days  south 
on  the  Campo,  said  that  the  “Word”  had 
gone  all  through  the  Ntum  country,  and  peo- 
ple were  “ settling  their  palavers.” 

The  comparatively  subdued  behavior  of 
Efulen  audiences  was  realized  only  by  the 
contrast  in  towns  outside,  where  usually  two 
or  three  young  fellows  would  keep  up  run- 


ROUGHING  IT  IN  THE  BUSH 


247 


ning  comments  on  the  preaching,  not  intend- 
ing to  be  disrespectful  but  frequently  giving 
to  it  a ludicrous  turn.  Or,  one  would  notice 
something  about  the  missionary’s  person  that 
struck  him  as  odd  and  nudge  his  neighbor. 
Eyes  in  all  directions  would  quickly  take  the 
hint,  till  suddenly  the  whole  audience,  who  a 
moment  before  were  listening  intently,  would 
be  lost  in  gazing  at  the  speaker’s  hair  or 
shoes.  And  they  would  laugh  at  everything, 
especially  when  the  eternal  punishment  of 
the  wicked  was  mentioned,  no  matter  how 
carefully  and  seriously.  A babel  of  voices 
would  remind  one  another  that  that  was  for 
them.  If  stealing  or  other  immorality  were 
mentioned,  side-glances  and  ringing  laughter 
not  only  played  havoc  with  the  thread  of  dis- 
course, but  indicated  how  prevalent  such  sins 
were.  It  was  usually  impossible  to  hold 
attention  in  new  places  for  more  than  ten 
minutes.  The  missionary  could  never  ex- 
plain the  reason  why  towns  differed  in  their 
reception  of  his  message ; for  in  some  places 
he  could  talk  without  interruption  for  half 
an  hour. 

Of  the  draft  there  is  upon  one  in  present- 


248 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


ing  divine  truth  to  such  people,  Dr.  Good  had 
ample  experience  this  year.  In  February  he 
tramped  twelve  days,  back  and  forth,  on  a 
preaching  tour  southeast  from  Efulen,  in  the 
region  where  it  was  hoped  to  locate  a second 
station.  Every  day  he  preached  in  from  five 
to  eight  towns.  A specimen  experience  must 
be  given  in  his  own  words : 

“ Frequently  after  I have  ceased  speaking, 
the  chief  or  some  other  man  of  influence  will 
harangue  the  people  and  urge  them  to  receive 
and  obey  the  words  God  has  sent  the  white 
man  to  teach  them.  How  he  will  tax  his 
people  with  lying,  stealing,  robbery,  immo- 
rality ! To  hear  him  remind  his  neighbors  of 
what  they  may  expect  in  the  world  to  come, 
one  would  think  he  himself  must  be  an  angel 
of  light,  with  nothing  to  fear  from  the  events 
of  the  last  great  day.  And  yet  that  man  is 
passionate,  cruel,  always  ready  for  a fight  or 
a foray,  probably  a robber  and  murderer 
many  times  over;  his  avarice  is  insatiable, 
he  is  a beastly  glutton.  But  as  he  stands 
forth,  dilating  on  the  shortcomings  of  his 
forty  or  fifty  wives  and  on  the  faults  of  his 


ROUGHING  IT  IN  THE  BUSH 


249 


neighbors  in  general,  he  seems  utterly  uncon- 
scious of  the  fact  that  he  is  probably  the 
greatest  sinner  of  them  all.  How  exceedingly 
human  all  this  is ! and  how  I long  for  the  day 
when  the  Spirit  of  truth  will  give  them  such 
a view  of  their  own  sins  that  they  will  forget 
those  of  their  neighbors ! ” 

The  responsibility  resting  upon  Dr.  Good 
for  the  health  of  his  younger  associates  and 
of  the  whole  great  enterprise  was  keenly  ap- 
preciated. “ You  will  not  be  surprised  when 
I tell  you  that  I sometimes  tremble.  I under- 
stand now  Paul’s  anxiety,  so  often  spoken  of 
in  his  epistles,  lest  he  should  be  ‘put  to 
shame.’  I can  only  pray  that  God  will  glorify 
his  great  name.” 


CHAPTER  XIV 

The  Ckowning  Year 
1894 

1 Efulen  all  was  animation  and  action 


in  the  spring  of  1894.  Dr.  Glood  and 
Mr.  Kerr  were  out  with  native  workmen, 
making  a road  around  swamps,  the  worst 
place  on  the  route  to  the  beach,  and  bridging 
the  Kribi  River  at  a point  twenty  miles  from 
the  station,  by  felling  an  immense  tree  across 
it.  He  doubts  whether  there  is  a pastor  in 
New  York  City  who  could  have  done  four 
such  days’  work  “without  feeling  inconve- 
nience.” A school-house  is  finished  in  May, 
the  first  in  all  Buludom ; and  now  that  they 
have  promise  of  recruits  from  America,  Mr. 
Kerr’s  saw  is  in  motion  again,  and  great  bales 
of  bark  and  other  materials  are  gradually 


250 


HEADS  OF  BULU  WOMEN  AT  EFULEN. 


PIT-SAW  AT  EFULEN  AND  WORKMEN  FROM  SEVERAL  TRIBES. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

URBAN/1, 


THE  CROWNING  YEAR 


251 


gathering  and  seasoning  on  the  premises  for 
a second  missionary  dwelling. 

In  late  April  Dr.  Good  is  up  and  away  on 
the  march,  most  of  the  time  with  two  carriers 
only,  all  comforts  necessarily  reduced  to  the 
lowest  notch.  At  the  same  time  his  order  is 
on  the  way  home  to  the  Board  for  one  hun- 
dred dollars,  earned  with  his  indefatigable 
butterfly  net,  “ to  aid  in  opening  the  second 
station.”  The  object  of  this  trip  is  to  find  a 
site  for  that  station  and  to  study  the  field  in 
general. 

His  course,  directed  as  usual  by  his  pocket 
compass,  was  south  by  east  as  far  as  the 
Nlobo  River,  two  hundred  and  ten  to  two 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  the  coast. 
There  he  was  within  three  days  of  the  Ja, 
into  which  it  flows,  and  the  Ja  is  an  indirect 
tributary  of  the  Congo.  This  journey  deter- 
mined in  general  the  scope  of  the  field  which 
had  been  entered.  Its  eastern  limit  must  be 
the  Ja,  for  across  that  live  the  savage  Ntem, 
a people  wholly  different  from  the  Bulu.  To 
the  south  one  would  soon  drift  into  French 
territory;  but  to  the  north  Bulu  towns 


252 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


stretched  for  a hundred  miles,  and,  for  no 
one  knows  how  much  farther,  those  of  other 
tribes  having  a cognate  speech.  Dr.  Grood 
tramped  on  this  journey  four  hundred  miles, 
a great  part  of  the  way  where  the  foot  of 
white  man  never  trod  before. 

The  weather  was  cool,  generally  fine. 
Sometimes  from  a hilltop  he  would  catch  a 
view  of  wooded  hills  rolling  away  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  see;  and  when  he  reached 
plateaus  twenty-six  hundred  feet  and  more 
above  sea-level,  the  air  was  as  pure  and  the 
sky  as  blue  as  among  the  well-remembered 
Pennsylvania  hills. 

It  was  plain  that  “ a vast  population  looks 
to  us  for  the  gospel.”  But  the  Bulu  manner 
of  life  forbade  denseness  of  population,  and 
their  method  of  building  was  such  as  to  give 
the  appearance,  from  a distance,  of  unbroken 
forest  even  in  thickly  settled  parts.  Bulu 
towns,  composed  of  three  to  thirty  villages 
strung  along  a path  at  intervals  of  fifty  to 
several  hundred  yards,  might  extend  for 
miles.  Each  village  has  its  one  straight 
street,  lined  on  either  side  with  low  bark 


THE  CROWNING  YEAR 


253 


houses,  and  a palaver  house  across  both  ends. 
Between  these  lines  of  villages  are  intervals 
of  bush  or  forest,  or  oftener  clearings  called 
gardens,  where  corn,  cassava,  groundnuts, 
and  plantains  grow.  Cultivation  of  these  is 
entirely  the  women’s  work,  but  is  done  so  in- 
efficiently that  they  get  only  two  or  three 
crops  in  ten  years.  Dr.  Good  pitied  the  poor 
drudges,  who  lose  their  good  looks  and  are 
old  women  when  they  ought  to  be  coming  to 
their  best  years.  He  marked  them  carrying 
the  daily  food  of  the  family  on  their  backs 
from  garden  to  house,  and  the  basket  of  fire- 
wood, besides,  with  which  to  cook  it.  He 
watched  the  wife  on  the  road,  staggering  be- 
hind her  husband  under  a load  of  food,  goods 
and  rubber,  perhaps  fifty  pounds’  weight, 
while  her  liege  lord  burdened  himself  with  a 
single  gun.  “One  of  the  saddest  sights  I 
ever  saw  was  women  toiling  through  deep 
forest  under  their  heavy  loads,  perhaps  in 
pouring  rain,  with  a crying  baby  slung  in  a 
strap  under  one  arm.”  Even  maternity  re- 
ceives but  little  consideration.  Among  some 
African  tribes,  the  Galwa,  for  example,  the 


254 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


mother  goes,  before  the  birth  of  her  child,  to 
her  own  people  and  remains  till  it  is  one  or 
two  years  old.  Here  there  is  no  such  relief. 
As  soon  as  her  child  is  a month  or  two  old 
the  Bulu  mother  must  go  to  work  as  be- 
fore. 

He  saw  the  men,  after  their  desultory  hunt- 
ing and  barter,  loafing  in  the  palaver  houses, 
eating,  smoking,  talking  palavers  and  politics, 
or  taking  care  of  the  baby  at  home.  “ One 
of  the  most  amusing  sights  I recall  was  an 
old  chief  trying  to  pacify  three  or  four  hun- 
gry babies  whose  mothers  were  away  in  the 
gardens.”  The  men  wear  themselves  out  by 
their  viciousness  at  middle  age,  and  Dr.  Good 
saw  scarcely  any  old  people  on  this  trip. 

As  usual,  he  makes  light  of  habitual  hard- 
ships. It  has  come  to  be  almost  a matter 
of  indifference  whether  his  feet  are  wet  or 
dry.  Swamp  of  all  depths  and  degrees,  bad 
food,  icy-cold  streams  to  be  waded,  a smoky 
hut  at  night  with  a bed  of  poles  on  which  to 
spread  his  blankets — all  this  he  can  bear,  like 
a born  pioneer,  with  equanimity;  but  there 
was  one  trial  almost  beyond  endurance. 


THE  CROWNING  YEAR 


255 


“I  wish  I could  somehow  make  you  eye- 
and  ear-witnesses  of  what  I experienced. 
Imagine  me  emerging  from  the  bush,  unan- 
nounced, upon  the  first  village  of  a Bulu 
town.  Some  child  first  catches  sight  of  the 
apparition,  and  takes  to  the  bush.  Grown 
people  often  looked  indifferently  at  first,  only 
remarking,  ‘ It’s  an  albino.’  But  soon  some- 
body would  divine  the  truth,  or  some  one 
who  had  followed  from  the  last  town  would 
make  the  harmless  remark,  ‘ It’s  a white 
man.’  The  result  I can  compare  to  nothing 
but  the  bursting  of  a dam.  Out  of  the  pala- 
ver house  come  the  men,  as  if  they  were  being 
fired  from  some  sort  of  repeating  weapon. 
Women  rush  to  the  doors  of  their  houses, 
take  one  look,  disappear  again  for  a moment 
while  they  set  a pot  off  the  fire  or  catch  up 
the  baby,  and  then  pour  into  the  street,  often 
with  a remark  to  the  effect  that  nobody  is 
going  to  get  anything  to  eat  to-day  while 
this  wonderful  thing  is  to  be  seen.  The  chil- 
dren, who  ran  screaming  at  first,  soon  regain 
courage  enough  to  come  back  and  join  the 
procession.  People  from  near  gardens,  hear- 


256 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


ing  the  racket,  rush  home,  and  men  of  the 
next  village  snatch  up  their  ever-ready  wea- 
pons and  come  running  to  see  if  it  may  be  an 
attack.  As  I go  on  from  village  to  village 
the  crowd  increases,  until  they  swarm  behind 
and  on  both  sides,  forming  a half-circle,  of 
which  I am  the  center. 

“ As  all  are  talking  at  the  highest  pitch  of 
their  voices,  the  noise  is  simply  distracting. 
Out  of  the  babel  I catch  such  exclamations 
as  ‘ O my  mother ! ’ ‘ Is  it  really  myself  1 ’ 

‘ And  am  I dead  ? ’ ‘ Isn’t  he  a beauty  ? ’ and 
others  that  will  not  bear  repetition.  These 
from  the  ladies.  The  men  are  more  dignified, 
but  more  disagreeable.  They  would  crowd 
into  the  places  next  me,  and  as  we  went  on 
through  the  towns  would  act  as  if  they  had 
me  in  charge,  telling  me  when  to  stop,  and 
giving  all  sorts  of  directions.  To  the  crowds 
of  new-comers  they  would  shout  information 
about  me  and  the  object  of  my  journey,  so 
absurdly  false  that  I often  felt  bound  to  stop 
and  try  to  correct  the  impression  they  were 
giving.  This  was  not  easy.  If  I said,  ‘ I have 
come  to  tell  you  about  Grod,  and  not  to  buy 


THE  CROWNING  YEAR 


257 


rubber  or  ivory,’  some  one  who  had  heard  ru- 
mors of  what  we  teach  would  begin  shouting 
an  outline  of  our  teachings,  but  such  a carica- 
ture of  the  truth  as  made  me  shudder. 

“Disgusted  at  last  beyond  endurance,  I 
would  attempt  to  silence  the  worst  offender, 
usually  the  man  who  was  following  close  at 
my  heels,  who  for  the  last  half-hour  had  been 
shouting  information  into  my  ears.  I would 
turn  and  tell  him  that  he  knew  nothing  about 
me  and  that  I should  myself  stop  in  a little 
while  and  talk  to  the  people.  At  this  he 
would  laugh  as  much  as  to  say,  ‘ I have  gotten 
the  “ thing  ” started  to  talk,’  and  then  shout 
to  the  crowd  behind  what  I had  said,  as  if  it 
had  been  the  performance  of  a parrot.  By 
this  time  I was  getting  out  of  humor,  and 
would  request  him  in  plain  terms  to  keep 
quiet.  At  this  he  would  laugh  again,  and 
shout  to  the  people  behind,  ‘He  says,  keep 
quiet.’  Then  I would  explain,  ‘ It  is  not  the 
people  behind  whose  noise  is  troubling  me ; 
it  is  you,  who  are  walking  close  to  me  and 
shouting  in  my  ears.’  But  it  was  useless ; 
he  would  turn  to  the  crowd  and  abuse  them 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


258 

for  making  such  a noise,  shouting,  if  possible, 
louder  than  ever. 

“ Then,  if  I was  wise,  I gave  it  up  and  went 
on,  allowing  him  to  say  what  he  pleased. 
But  sometimes  I was  too  angry  to  be  wise, 
and  I would  get  after  the  fellow  and  make 
him  think,  at  least,  that  I was  going  to  chas- 
tise him.  Then  he  would  at  last  realize  that 
I meant  Mm,  and  would  not  speak  above  a 
whisper,  and  would  try  by  gestures  to  keep 
others  from  doing  so.  Dead  silence  followed, 
save  the  noise  we  made  in  walking.  Mean- 
while we  had  arrived  at  another  village,  and 
you  can  imagine  the  result  of  the  whole  crowd 
walking  in  silence  and  by  frantic  gestures 
giving  the  village  the  impression  that  I was 
some  sort  of  a monster  that  might  be  rendered 
dangerous  by  the  least  noise.  This  was 
worse  than  noise,  so  I would  explain  that  I 
had  no  objection  to  talking,  if  they  would 
not  yell.  Then  they  would  start  again,  softly 
at  first,  but  little  by  little  the  volume  inci'eas- 
ing  till  there  was  the  same  babel  as  before. 

“ Then  the  crowd  clamor  for  me  to  stop, 
that  they  may  take  a good  look  at  me.  As  I 


THE  CROWNING  YEAR 


259 


have  reached  the  center  of  the  village,  I ac- 
cede to  their  request.  Standing  in  the  middle 
of  the  street,  they  form  a circle  around  me, 
men  in  front,  women  for  the  most  part  behind 
and  trying  to  steal  up  close  to  examine  some- 
thing without  being  observed.  I turn  my 
head,  and  at  once  there  is  a scream  and 
stampede ; but  only  for  a moment ; they  soon 
return,  but  more  cautiously.  Silence,  or 
something  approaching  it,  follows,  while  all 
indulge  in  one  long,  intense  stare,  during 
which  only  a camera  could  depict  the  various 
expressions  in  their  faces.  Then  we  have  a 
dog-fight.  Every  man’s  cur  from  all  the  vil- 
lages we  had  passed  followed  his  master,  and 
the  dogs  of  the  village  in  which  we  are  stop- 
ping object  to  their  presence. 

“ Meanwhile  the  chief  is  not  being  noticed, 
and  must  make  himself  known.  Stepping 
into  the  middle  of  the  circle  and  raising  his 
staff  as  if  to  chastise  the  crowd,  he  begins,  in 
what  seems  a fearful  passion,  to  abuse  every- 
body for  treating  the  white  man  in  such  out- 
rageous fashion.  As  he  is  only  talking  for 
the  white  man’s  benefit,  I silence  him. 


260 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


“ Then  comes  a request  to  remove  my  hat, 
that  they  may  see  my  hair.  This  reasonable 
request  I always  grant,  and  am  rewarded 
by  a chorus  of  complimentary  exclamations. 
Next,  no  matter  how  much  I had  been  talking, 
some  one  would  ask,  ‘Can  he  talk?’  This 
question  I would  answer  by  some  trivial  re- 
mark, which  would  be  received  with  a volley 
of  laughter.  Then  they  ask  questions  just  to 
get  me  to  speak.  Then  follow  requests  to 
take  off  my  shoes  or  other  parts  of  my  cloth- 
ing, that  they  might  see  whether  I was  really 
like  one  of  themselves ; attempts  to  induce  me 
to  buy  ivory  or  rubber,  offers  of  marriage,  re- 
quests for  gifts,  to  show  my  trade  goods,  com- 
pass, note-book,  etc. 

“ When  I thought  their  curiosity  had  been 
sufficiently  sated,  I would  attempt  to  tell 
them  why  I had  come  among  them,  and  to 
give  them  some  idea  of  the  gospel  and  their 
need  of  it. 

“ These  scenes,  with  numberless  variations, 
are  repeated  as  we  pass  through  town  after 
town,  till  at  last  we  must  stop  for  the  night. 
If  only  one  could  escape  the  noisy  crowds 


THE  CROWNING  YEAR 


261 


then,  that  would  nerve  him  to  endure  the 
babel  of  the  day.  But  the  worst  is  to  come. 
I get  a house,  put  my  goods  and  carriers  in- 
side, and  in  order  to  give  them  a chance  to 
unpack  and  prepare  supper  I stay  in  the 
street,  talking  to  the  people.  At  last  I am 
tired,  and  tell  them  they  must  go  home  and 
let  me  rest.  Needless  to  say  they  do  not 
go.  As  soon  as  I am  inside  the  house  they 
crowd  around  the  door.  If  I shut  it  (the 
only  opening  in  the  walls  of  a Bulu  house)  it 
is  quite  dark ; besides,  the  cooking  is  being 
done  over  an  open  fire,  and  the  smoke  is  suffo- 
cating. But  it  may  as  well  be  shut  as  blocked 
by  heads  and  shoulders  of  the  crowd. 

“ Sometimes  I try  reasoning  with  them.  ‘ I 
want  to  be  quiet  and  rest.’  ‘ But  we  want  to 
see  you,’  they  reply.  ‘ Is  this  a proper  way  to 
treat  a visitor  ? ’ ‘ No,’  they  all  agree.  ‘ Then 
why  don’t  you  go  away  and  leave  me  ? ’ ‘We 
want  to  see  you.’  So  I shut  the  door,  pre- 
ferring smoke  to  the  crowd.  Sometimes  I go 
out  into  the  street  and  call  to  the  people 
‘ whether  I am  to  have  a house,  or  whether  I 
must  go  on  to  the  next  town.’  By  this 


262 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


means  I gain  my  point.  At  last  I am  in  my 
smoky  den,  and  the  crowd  shut  out.  But  I 
am  not  hidden  yet.  When  I light  my  tallow 
candle  every  crack  and  crevice  becomes  a 
peep-hole ; and  I eat  my  supper  knowing  that 
eyes  are  watching  every  movement. 

“ Gradually  the  noise  subsides,  and  appa- 
rently they  have  become  tired  and  gone  away ; 
but  only  apparently.  A few  are  waiting  to 
see  the  white  man  go  to  bed,  and  they  do  not 
attempt  to  conceal  their  disgust  when  he 
blows  out  his  candle  before  undressing. 

“ Now  I can  stand  this  sort  of  thing  for 
three  or  four  days  quite  philosophically,  but 
after  about  a week  of  it  I become  nervous 
and  irritable.  Certainly,  if  I should  ever 
visit  a menagerie  again,  and  see  a monkey 
with  a crowd  around  its  cage,  exclaiming,  as 
it  scratches  its  head  or  takes  a bite  of  food, 
‘ How  funny ! How  very  human ! ’ I shall 
profoundly  sympathize  with  the  monkey. 

“ But  I cannot  stop  here,  or  I shall  give  a 
false  impression.  All  this  is  curiosity,  not 
hostility  or  dislike.  Impertinent  and  selfish 
it  undoubtedly  was,  but  everywhere  the  in- 


THE  CROWNING  YEAR 


263 


tention  was  to  treat  me  well.  And  when  I 
have  been  able  to  walk,  with  only  two  carriers, 
more  than  two  hundred  miles  going  and 
coming,  through  a part  of  Africa  where  a 
white  man  was  never  before  seen,  without 
meeting  the  first  symptom  of  hostility,  cer- 
tainly I ought  not  to  complain  if  the  people 
were  unpleasantly  curious.  This  trip  has 
convinced  me  that  any  prudent  man  can  go 
as  far  as  the  Bulu  language  extends  and 
preach  the  gospel  without  hindrance.” 

Dr.  Good  alternated  his  journeys  with 
translating  at  his  desk — the  “ same  humdrum 
vork  ” of  which  he  had  more  than  enough  on 
the  Ogowe.  But  it  cannot  be  done  too  soon. 
By  the  end  of  March  a considerable  Bulu 
dictionary  was  finished  and  John’s  gospel 
begun.  This  was  resumed  after  his  journey 
of  a month,  and  again  interrupted  by  an  ar- 
rival from  the  coast.  A committee  of  the 
mission  came  up  to  decide  jointly  with  him 
upon  the  site  for  a second  station.  They 
made  a twelve  days’  trip  together,  retracing 
a part  of  his  previous  journey ; and,  as  in  the 
case  of  Efulen,  one  place  offered  such  supe- 


264 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


rior  advantages  that  the  brethren  had  no  hesi- 
tation in  their  choice.  They  bought  land  for 
a station  in  the  district  of  Ebolowo’e,  sixty- 
eight  miles  east  by  south  from  Efulen.  The 
site  was  on  a low  hill,  at  an  elevation  of 
twenty-four  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  The 
town  proper  had  only  about  eight  hundred 
inhabitants,  but  six  roads  led  out  in  as  many 
directions  to  other  towns,  from  a twenty 
minutes’  walk  distant  to  an  hour,  and  one 
might  continue  on  for  a whole  day,  or  days 
together,  through  a succession  of  villages  and 
a large  aggregate  population.  To  a novice  in 
Africa  the  people  would  seem  wild  enough.: 
powerfully  built,  almost  naked,  smearing  the 
whole  body  with  red  powder,  their  hair  deco- 
rated with  buttons,  beads,  shells,  and  feathers ; 
they  were  always  at  war ; they  held  human  life 
at  a discount ; nearly  every  girl  was  sold  for  a 
wife  before  five  years  old.  Fifty  or  a hundred 
of  them  at  a time,  each  armed  with  gun,  knife, 
or  spear,  they  surrounded  the  missionary 
group,  prying  curiously  into  all  their  few  pos- 
sessions. This  was  heathenism.  But  the  tiger 
tooth  around  the  neck,  the  charmed  antelope 


CHARACTERISTIC  GROUP  OF  BULU  MEN  AND  ONE  WOMAN 
IN  EBOLOWO’E  DISTRICT. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

URBANA 


THE  CROIVNING  YEAR 


265 


horn  over  the  shoulder,  their  “ medicine  ” for 
guns,  their  grotesque  ngee  and  organized  rob- 
ber band,  especially  their  speech,  to  those  who 
understood  it,  were  a revelation  of  deeper 
darkness.  The  whole  Bulu  world  lay  under 
the  paralyzing  power  of  the  fetish. 

Our  missionaries  longed  to  give  this  land 
to  Jesus  Christ  for  his  possession;  and,  as 
they  traveled  back  towards  Efulen,  they 
talked  of  what  the  mail  from  America  might 
bring.  How  soon  would  the  new  men  be 
coming?  When  could  they  begin  to  build 
upon  the  new-bought  property?  How  long 
before  they  might  proclaim  liberty  to  the 
captive  there  ? 

At  present  not  a Bulu  from  Efulen  dared 
to  carry  up  their  loads.  One  year  from  that 
time  the  people  of  Ebolowo’e  intrusted  five 
boys  to  the  mission  school  at  Efulen.  The 
name  eventually  given  to  the  second  station, 
Elat,  intimates  a compact  of  friendship. 

The  mail  came  from  America  and  brought 
— delay.  So  far  only  one  man  had  offered 
for  the  service.  “Our  mission,”  wrote  Dr. 
Oood,  “ has  been  forty  years  seeking  a door 


266 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


by  which  to  enter  the  interior  of  Africa.  Now 
when  this  one  has  opened  so  widely,  is  it  thus 
we  propose  to  enter!”  Letters  complimen- 
tary to  himself  in  no  wise  abate  his  disap- 
pointment. He  tells  his  wife  that  “ the  soft 
soap  is  coming  in  ” till  he  might  be  tempted 
to  think  himself  a hero,  only  he  knows  bet- 
ter ; “ if  any  heroism  is  being  displayed,  it  is 
by  you.”  His  accounts  of  the  new  field,  of 
which  Efulen  is  “ only  the  outer  edge,”  go 
home  by  every  irregular  opportunity.  “We 
need  many  things,  but  none  more  than  the 
prayers  of  Hod’s  people.” 

In  countries  which,  like  China  or  India, 
possess  an  old  civilization  and  sacred  books, 
missionaries  have  sometimes  preached  the 
gospel  for  years  before  a soul  would  admit 
its  power.  Not  so  on  Efulen  Hill.  The  for- 
est people,  gathering  there  with  an  increas- 
ingly respectful  demeanor  from  one  Lord’s 
day  to  another,  had  been  all  their  lifetime  in 
bondage  of  fear  from  merciless  and  ubiquitous 
spirits,  and  there  was,  to  some  ears,  a welcome 
sound  of  deliverance  in  the  Word.  Nor  had 
they  the  scholar’s  pride  in  concealing  their 


THE  CR01VN1NG  YEAR 


267 


interest.  By  March  one  village  was  “ stirred 
up”  on  the  subject  of  religion,  one  middle- 
aged  man  was  coming  for  special  instruction, 
an  inquiry  class  would  soon  be  “in  plain 
sight”;  and  when  a palaver  broke  out,  in 
which  three  men  were  killed,  the  people  were 
“ ashamed  ” because  they  “ prided  themselves 
on  having  given  up  war  since  we  came.”  In 
July  a number  were  expressing  the  wish  to 
be  Christians — “too  soon  to  begin  to  count 
them.”  As  time  went  on : “ Of  some  we  have 
good  hopes”;  but  many  would-be  inquirers 
were  warily  held  off.1  The  missionary  had 
“no  confidence”  in  them.  He  had  seen  a 
great  many  Africans.  Not  every  one  who 
came  with  a pair  of  white  man’s  shoes  on  his 
feet  or  a cast-off  overcoat,  in  which  he  ap- 
peared equally  ridiculous  and  uncomfortable, 
was  bound  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Mo- 
tives had  to  be  probed.  Some  of  them  lay 
on  the  surface.  The  honor  of  receiving  special 
instruction,  alone,  from  the  white  man  was 

1 “ With  all  inquirers  he  was  a most  faithful  and  loving 
guide.  No  matter  what  he  was  doing,  that  work  must  wait 
if  there  was  a heart  that  could  be  reached  after  and  pointed 
to  the  Lamb  of  God.”  (Letter  from  Mr.  Kerr. ) 


268 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


enough  to  raise  up  some  followers.  And 
when,  desiring  to  grapple  with  a thoughtful 
hearer,  Dr.  Good,  in  order  to  avoid  the  hang- 
ers-on who  would  devour  wayside  seed  by 
provoking  a laugh  or  a quarrel,  took  the  man 
into  his  own  bedroom,  alas  for  his  theories 
of  an  object-lesson  in  simple  living ! There 
were  a table,  a type-writer,  shelves  contain- 
ing medicine  bottles,  and  less  than  twenty 
indispensable  books.  But  this  was  a World’s 
Fair  to  a Bulu,  when  seen  for  the  first  time. 
His  mind  wandered ; his  gaze  was  fixed  now 
on  the  machine,  now  on  what  seemed  a giant 
volume,  the  “United  States  Dispensatory”; 
and  “ I might  as  well  try  to  preach  to  people 
while  an  earthquake  is  going  on  as  to  my  in- 
quirer in  such  surroundings.” 

And  there  was  Zanga.  It  proved  that  he 
was  absent  from  Sabbath  service  because 
he  was  hunting  for  an  animal  that  he  had 
wounded  the  evening  before.  When  told 
that  Christians  do  not  work  on  Sunday,  he 
replied,  “ Why,  hunting  is  not  work.”  Then 
the  matter  is  made  plain  to  him.  But  a Sab- 
bath or  two  later,  as  the  missionary  is  hold- 


THE  CROWNING  YEAR 


269 


ing  afternoon  meetings  out  in  the  towns,  he 
comes  across  Zanga  busy  hewing  out  pieces 
of  wood  to  make  a sheath  for  one  of  the  large 
sword-like  knives  which  the  Bulu  carry. 
When  his  attention  is  called  to  the  way  he 
is  keeping  the  Sabbath,  he  replies  in  amaze- 
ment, “ Surely  you  don’t  call  this  work ! ” 
Then  Zanga  is  instructed  in  the  doctrine  of 
the  Sabbath  once  for  all.  That  day  week, 
passing  again,  there  was  Zanga,  a smile  of 
self-approval  on  his  face,  sitting  on  a piece 
of  wood,  which  he  was  holding  in  place  while 
another  man  with  an  adz  was  hewing  it  into 
a board,  evidently  for  the  door  of  Zanga’s 
unfinished  house.  “ I simply  made  a remark 
to  the  effect  that  I saw  he  was  busy  on  his 
new  house.  ‘ It  is  not  I,’  he  replied  cheer- 
fully ; ‘ this  man  is  doing  the  work,  and  he  is 
not  a Christian.’  ” 

There  was  nothing  surprising  in  the  child- 
ishness of  such  ideas  among  people  born  in 
the  heathenism  of  Africa,  to  whom  the  gospel 
story  was  wholly  a novelty.  The  missionary 
was  encouraged  by  their  hearing  ear;  but 
he  longed  for  the  Holy  Spirit  “ to  make  clear 


270 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


what  we  can  make  them  only  dimly  under- 
stand. What  would  we  not  give  for  a little 
group  of  earnest  Christians  among  them  to 
set  the  example  for  the  rest  of  what  Chris- 
tianity is ! ” 

Dr.  Hood  was  rapidly  identifying  himself 
with  the  people  of  the  district.  There  were 
chiefs  and  witch-doctors,  but  he  was  the  in- 
fluential citizen  of  all  Nkonemekak.  In  cases 
he  was  umpire.  All  the  time  he  sat  as  if 
Judge  on  the  Supreme  Bench  against  every 
form  of  prevalent  and  condoned  wickedness. 
He  protested  to  the  black  traders  against 
bringing  up  rum  and  gin.  He  used  argu- 
ments which  they  could  appreciate — that  it 
would  be  no  financial  advantage  to  them,  and 
would  work  physical  wreck.  He  was  out  in 
the  midst  of  the  people,  mixing  in  the  every- 
day life  of  the  towns,  and  a bystander  at  their 
palavers.  Once  he  looks  so  shocked  at  the 
conclusion  they  have  reached  that  the  men 
apologize.  At  times  they  try  to  cover  up 
facts  which  they  are  ashamed  to  have  him 
know.  In  most  out-of-the-way  places  people 
were  quoting,  “ Mr.  Hood  says  ” don’t  do  this 


THE  CROWNING  YEAR 


271 


or  that.1  He  took  up  the  cause  of  the  needy 
and  them  that  have  no  helper — the  poor 
women,  lazy,  impudent,  vile  though  they 
were.  “What  toil,  patience,  discipline  will 
be  necessary  before  Bulu  women  can  stand 
where  the  gospel  aims  to  place  them ! ” But 
he  believed  the  old  gospel  which  redeemed 
womanhood  in  Europe  and  America  would 
be  a sufficient  remedy  for  them.  Again  and 
again  he  reproved  men  for  cruel  treatment 
of  their  wives,  and  for  giving  young  girls  as 
readily  as  a sheep  for  pledges  in  palavers. 

One  Sunday  afternoon  in  August,  the 
strident  sound  of  beating  drum  and  incessant 
firing  of  guns  fretting  the  air  warned  him 
that  mischief  was  brewing.  So  he  strolled 
down  to  the  nearest  town,  where  he  was  met 
by  a typical  Equatorial  Africa  scene. 

The  corpse  of  a leading  Bulu  lay  under  the 
burning  sun,  and  his  seven  wives  huddled 
about  it.  They  had  been  stripped  of  even 
their  usual  scanty  dress  of  grass  and  beads, 
while  the  body  was  decently  wrapped  in  new 

1 Told  by  Mr.  Kerr.  “ Words  Mr.  Good  had  used  months 
before  often  come  back  in  that  way.” 


272 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


calicoes.  Through  the  long  afternoon  they 
lay  there  with  eyes  closed,  pretending  to  be 
asleep,  and  other  women,  encircling  the  center- 
piece,  kept  up  a low  moaning.  Right  in  the 
middle  of  the  street,  where  men  only  are 
allowed  burial,  was  the  open  grave ; and,  get- 
ting a hint  that  one  of  the  wives  had  been 
charged  with  causing  her  husband’s  death  by 
witchcraft,  and  was  destined  to  go  with  him 
into  that  grave,  the  white  citizen  determined 
to  stand  by  and  if  possible  prevent  the  deed. 
Late  in  the  evening  the  post-mortem  examina- 
tion came  on,  and  they  found,  true  enough, — 
what  they  were  looking  for — a witch.  “ The 
only  unbeliever  present  pronounced  it  a small, 
oval,  fleshy  tumor,  about  an  inch  long,  lying 
just  inside  the  spinal  column.  I felt  some- 
what elated,  for  I thought  the  woman  was  safe 
now ; but  I soon  found  they  wanted  to  kill  her, 
and  the  witch  business  was  only  an  excuse.” 
Dr.  Glood  persisted.  He  “ buttonholed  ” the 
leading  men,  expressing  his  “strong  disap- 
proval ” of  their  cruel  custom ; and  at  last  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  dead  safely 
buried  alone.  Thus  an  efficient  blow  was 


THE  CROWNING  YEAR 


273 


struck  at  witchcraft  in  Bululand.  At  this 
time  burial  of  women,  alive  or  dead,  in  the 
grave  of  their  husbands  was  a common  event. 
Within  two  years  after,  three  witch-doctors 
in  the  district  abandoned  their  calling,  and 
went  to  work  building  bark  houses  like  other 
men ; and  for  miles  around  Efulen  belief  in 
witches  had  received,  not  its  death-blow,  but 
an  incurable  wound. 

His  advances  towards  the  people  were  re- 
ciprocated. “ You  are  one  of  ns”  they  said. 
After  Dr.  Good’s  death,  out  from  Efulen  per- 
haps twenty  miles,  Bulu  men  stopped  the 
missionary,  as  he  was  passing,  to  express  not 
only  their  sorrow,  but — high  proof  of  savage 
friendship — a wish  to  go  to  Ebolowo’e  and 
kill  those  men  of  another  clan  whose  witch- 
craft had  shortened  their  white  man’s  life. 

In  order  to  acquire  colloquial  expressions 
and  a limber  vocabulary,  Dr.  Good  engaged 
the  more  intelligent  of  the  men  in  relating  to 
him  their  folk-lore  stories. 

In  August  he  writes  to  his  little  son  about 
his  evening  school  of  a dozen  or  more  boys 
from  the  town:  “Very  good  boys  for  this 


274 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


country,  and  anxious  to  learn.”  In  lieu  of 
books,  Mr.  Kerr  has  fastened  strips  across 
the  face  of  a board,  and  the  teacher  inserts 
between  them  small  blocks  of  white  wood 
upon  which  letters  and  figures  have  been 
stenciled,  so  by  a sort  of  word  game  teaching 
the  class  to  read  and  count. 

While  this  various,  active  contact  with  the 
people  was  unremitting,  Dr.  G-ood’s  indus- 
trious pen  was  accumulating  for  them  a dur- 
able treasure.  His  systematic  habit  was  to 
rise  at  six  o’clock,  get  to  his  desk  at  seven, 
translate  till  noon,  again  two  hours  in  the 
afternoon,  and,  after  that,  daily  go  into  the 
near  towns  and  preach.  In  June  four  hymns 
were  written.  By  the  end  of  July  the  gospel 
of  John  was  translated,  and  seven  chapters 
of  Matthew.  September  19  the  gospels  by 
Matthew  and  Mark  entire  are  added  to  that 
by  John,  and  the  same  day  manuscript  of  the 
first  Bulu  book,  a primer,  is  mailed  to  Amer- 
ica to  be  printed.  One  month  later  the  dic- 
tionary has  passed  under  careful  revision, 
and  the  pen  is  laid  down  at  the  last  line  of 
Luke’s  gospel. 


THE  CROWNING  YEAR 


275 


The  first  Bulu  proverb  which  Dr.  Good 
thought  worthy  of  transference  to  his  note- 
book is  the  following : UE  mous  me  yen , osu 
ndim ” — Behind  I see,  before  [is]  unknown. 
Each  week  marked  off,  each  day,  was  swiftly 
narrowing  the  margin  between  him  and  that 
“ unknown.” 


A BULU  TOWN  NEAB  ELAT. 


CHAPTER  XV 

“ If  this  journey  shall  open  a road  for  the  light  to  en- 
ter this  dark  region  into  which  I have  penetrated  a 
little  way,  I shall  never  regret  the  toil.  I do  hope 
God's  people  in  America  will  see  to  it  that  I have 
not  run  in  vain,  neither  labored  in  vain."— A.  C.  G., 
1892. 

The  Last  Five  Months 
July — December  13,  1894 

FROM  the  day  of  his  boyhood’s  resolve  in 
the  apple-orchard,  it  had  been  Adolphus 
Good’s  characteristic  to  aim  straight  for  the 
mark.  As  the  summer  of  1894  waned,  his 
goal  was  as  definite  as  ever,  and  his  plans,  as 
usual,  embraced  a full  year  to  come.  First 
of  all,  a start  must  be  made  at  the  second 
station.  Good  news  had  come  of  two  new 
men  appointed  and  soon  to  arrive  at  the  coast. 

276 


THE  LAST  FI  HE  MONTHS 


277 


They  should  come  up  straightway  and  hold 
Efulen,  while  he  and  Kerr  would  take  the  ax 
and  move  on  to  Ebolowo’e.  There  November 
and  December  should  be  spent,  vibrating  be- 
tween the  building  going  on  under  Mr.  Kerr’s 
direction  and  itineration  in  the  district.  He 
would  move  among  the  people,  taking  off 
the  edge  of  curiosity  and  running  a furrow 
through  the  fallow  ground.  Especially  he 
resolved  to  see  the  Bene  branch  of  Bulu- 
speaking  tribes  and  get  sufficient  data  for 
locating  two  more  stations.  The  opening  of 
1895  would  carry  them  up  to  mission  meet- 
ing, and  then  the  husband-  and  father-heart 
should  be  allowed  to  speak.  He  would  ask 
permission  to  revise  his  Bulu  gospels  and 
take  them  home  to  be  printed.  Allowing 
himself  six  or  eight  months  in  America,  he 
would  hope  his  wife  could  return  with  him, 
and  then — more  service  for  the  Bulu,  more 
toil  and  hardship  for  the  redemption  of 
Africa.  So  man  proposed. 

And  he  had  such  resources  of  health  at 
command.  It  had  been  his  refrain  all  the 
year.  In  April:  “Almost  perfect  health”; 


278 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


“ never  stronger.”  After  four  hundred  miles 
on  foot : “ Strong  as  ever  in  my  life.”  In 
June:  “Do  not  think  I ever  had  better 
health”;  “do  not  need  to  go  home  on  ac- 
count of  my  health  ” ; “ no  signs  of  fever  or 
malaria  at  Efulen” ; “ dismiss  anxiety  for  my 
health.” 

July:  “We  are  busy,  and  that  is  all.  I 
have  been  so  occupied  with  translating,  and 
Mr.  Kerr  with  building  and  teaching,  that 
our  premises  are  rather  out  of  repair;  but 
now  we  shall  get  time  to  put  them  in  better 
order.  We  are  having  fine  tomatoes,  cress, 
string-beans,  and  some  potatoes  are  growing ; 
not  many,  however,  as  we  failed  to  get  seed. 
Cabbage  and  cauliflower  look  well,  but  cannot 
tell  yet  whether  they  will  head  or  not.  Corn 
is  abundant  just  now,  but  other  food  still 
scarce,  plantains  especially,  and  we  miss  them 
very  much.  We  are  trying  to  lay  in  a large 
stock  of  provisions  from  the  beach  before  the 
arrival  of  the  new-comers.” 

October  rains  were  heavy,  and  when  they 
had  ceased  at  Efulen  would  be  at  their  worst 
in  the  interior ; “ so  I am  likely  to  have  a bad 


THE  LAST  FIVE  MONTHS 


279 


time  of  it ; but  I cannot  put  off  this  trip,  for 
I want  to  visit  the  Bene  country  before  I re- 
vise my  translations.” 

Plans  were  defeated.  The  new  missionaries 
were  coming  too  late  to  permit  of  building 
at  Ebolowo’e,  and  Mr.  Kerr  would  be  obliged 
to  remain  at  Efulen.  Therefore,  instead  of 
itinerating  from  the  second  station  as  his 
base,  Dr.  G-ood  must  take  the  more  difficult 
alternative  and  make  his  journey  of  a month 
or  six  weeks  from  Efulen.  Rumors  of  threat- 
enings  in  various  towns  reached  their  ears 
and  frightened  the  carriers.  They  defaulted ; 
others  were  engaged  and  were  exasperating. 
Certainly  this  was  destined  to  be  a laborious 
march ; but  “ in  all  the  years  that  are  past  of 
my  life , the  path  has  never  failed  to  open  before 
me  clearly  in  good  time.” 1 It  opened  in  per- 
fect day. 

Already  there  was  light  in  one  direction. 
He  would  soon  divide  his  “ load.”  “ I shall 
probably  be  away  when  the  new  brethren 
arrive,  and  I am  glad  of  it ; for  I am  anxious 
to  draw  out  of  the  position  of  adviser.  By 

1 The  italics  are  the  author’s. 


280 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


the  time  I am  back  they  will  he  well  started 
in.  If  they  do  not  see  things  as  I do,  I shall 
give  them  large  liberty  to  do  what  they  like.” 

Before  leaving  he  wrote  with  customary 
candor  and  caution  to  the  Board  about  pro- 
gress at  Efulen : “ There  is  a great  deal  of 
interest  among  the  people  here,  and  we  hope 
there  have  been,  or  soon  will  be,  several  con- 
versions ; but  I fear  to  write  of  these  people 
as  converts,  lest  my  words  should  come  out 
six  months  hence  and  find  them  gone  back 
to  the  world.” 

At  last  it  was  November  12.  Carriers  were 
keyed  up  to  marching  pitch,  and  Dr.  Good 
took  a cheerful  leave  of  his  solitary  comrade. 
But  scarcely  half  a day  out  he  was  overtaken 
by  Mr.  Kerr’s  messenger : the  new  men  were 
coming.  Back  he  turned  and  went  forward 
at  a rapid  pace,  welcoming  them  several  miles 
the  other  side  of  Efulen,  and  escorting  them 
in  to  the  station.  They  were  three  young 
brethren  fresh  from  America.  All  the  after- 
noon and  into  the  night  they  talked  earnestly 
together,  and  next  morning  Dr.  Good  was  off 
to  catch  up  with  his  loads. 


THE  LAST  FIVE  MOUTHS 


281 


Now  brace  your  back  again,  good  soldier, 
to  its  burden  of  anxiety  and  care.  March  on 
once  more,  dauntless,  through  flood  and  forest 
and  noisy  towns  bare  of  a single  token  of 
civilization.  Open  your  lips  again,  brave 
soldier,  warning  the  people  lest  they  die  in 
their  sins,  and  give  the  message  of  life,  eter- 
nal life ; for  this  is  the  last  journey,  and  your 
guerdon  waits  at  the  end. 

From  the  meager  lines  in  his  note-book  the 
thread  of  events  is  followed.  Dr.  Good  went 
eastward,  spending  the  first  Sunday  at  Olem 
of  the  Yevo  clan,  people  “ rough  and  careless, 
but  meaning  to  be  kind.”  A whole  week  he 
preached  among  the  towns  of  Ebolowo’e  dis- 
trict. The  chief,  a mighty  man  of  eighty 
wives,  confessed  to  him  that  at  the  time  of 
his  father’s  death  he  had  cut  the  throats  of 
ten  people,  and  had  killed  twenty  when  his 
brother  died,  all  for  witchcraft.  Dr.  Good 
secured  a pledge  from  him,  made  in  public, 
that  he  would  never  repeat  these  deeds  of 
blood.  The  first  Bene  town  was  struck  the 
25tli,  eight  miles  north  of  Ebolowo’e,  at  an 
elevation  of  three  thousand  feet. 


282 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


“November  27.  I find  the  Bene  country 
less  populous  than  the  Bulu.” 

The  course  was  thence  westward,  in  touch 
with  several  tribes — Yewondo,  Yengone, 
Yando — and  a line  of  towns  belonging  to  the 
Yeno’e  clan.  With  all  of  them  Dr.  Good 
made  himself  understood,  and  comparisons 
between  their  speech  and  the  Bulu  were  re- 
corded. The  second  week  a severe  cold  had 
forced  him  to  stay  inside  his  hut  one  day. 
His  carriers  proved  as  inefficient  as  they  had 
given  promise.  From  stage  to  stage  food  was 
disastrously  unsuitable  and  eaten  with  an 
anxious  heart;  and  now,  in  one  of  these 
Yeno’e  towns,  his  insidious  enemy  met  him, 
like  Joab  in  the  gate. 

“ November  30.  In  the  evening  I felt  fever 
coming  on.  I was  quite  chilly  for  a couple 
of  hours,  then  went  into  a profuse  perspira- 
tion. Took  a heavy  dose  of  quinine.  Next 
morning  the  fever  was  broken.” 

Welcome  would  rest  have  been,  but  his 
quarters  were  “ so  mean  and  dirty  ” that  the 
road  seemed  preferable. 

“December  1.  Feel  badly.  On  through 


THE  LAST  FIVE  MONTHS 


283 


Yeno’e  towns — course  same  as  yesterday, 
nearly  west.  Distance  for  day,  eleven  miles.” 
He  might  have  added,  “through  mud  and 
water.” 

The  third  Sunday  was  spent  in  a small 
town  whose  chief  was  “ anxious  for  a teacher.” 
Next  day  he  was  cordially  received  at  Lolo- 
dorf,  the  German  government  station  in  the 
Ngumba  country,  whence  he  sends  a reassur- 
ing line,  “ Safe  and  well,”  to  his  dear  ones  far 
away. 

With  the  Ngumba  he  was  “ disgusted,”  and 
the  roads  out  from  their  towns  balked  him, 
for  they  all  ran  east  and  west.  But  on  the 
6th  he  struck  a southward  line  of  Bulu  towns, 
in  one  of  which  he  spent  the  9th.  It  was 
the  fourth  consecutive  Lord’s  day  passed 
amid  savage  sights  and  sounds,  separated  as 
by  an  eternity  from  Christian  sympathy  and 
hallowed  worship.  The  town  was  Bieti,  the 
last  name  in  the  note-book. 

Monday,  at  noon,  he  appeared  at  the  door 
of  the  mission  house  in  Efulen,  and  watchful 
eyes  noted  that  his  face  was  haggard  and 
ominously  yellow.  He  acknowledged  to 


284 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


having  suffered  from  unsuitable  food,  from 
sleeplessness,  a feverish  attack,  and  that  a 
return  of  fever  had  hurried  him  home.  But 
he  dismissed  it  lightly;  he  would  take  qui- 
nine and  be  “ all  right  in  the  morning.”  There 
was  no  loss  of  spirit  and  enthusiasm  regard- 
ing the  interior.  They  had  never  seen  him 
more  anxious  to  open  the  second  station.  In 
all  his  journey  of  two  hundred  and  thirty 
miles  he  had  found  no  place  to  compare  with 
their  chosen  site. 

At  midnight  he  was  wakeful,  and,  calling 
to  Mr.  Ford,  who  had  come  up  from  the  coast 
in  his  absence,  they  had  two  hours’  conference 
on  mission  affairs.  Next  day,  worse.  His 
five  brethren  surrounded  him  with  every 
possible  ministry  of  love  and  care.  Wednes- 
day, hematuria  was  manifest,  and  remedies 
were  pushed  as  fast  as  he  could  bear  them. 
Loyal  hearts  and  true  wrestled  in  prayer  for 
his  life ; but  the  patient’s  temperature  rose 
steadily.  “ I felt,”  wrote  the  physician,  “ that 
the  noble  man  was  to  be  called  to  his  reward.” 

Delirium  came  on.  Attempts  at  prayer  in 
English : “ 0 God,  help  in  this  supreme  hour,” 


THE  LAST  FIVE  MONTHS 


285 


distinctly  repeated  at  intervals.  In  conscious 
moments  lie  charged  his  brethren  to  he  firm ; 
not  to  be  afraid,  but  to  push  on.  Turning 
to  one  of  his  watchers : “ It  has  come  to  be 
the  fashion  to  regard  me  as  the  representative 
of  this  interior  work,”  (with  an  expressive 
gesture,)  “I  never  liked  it.”  Now  he  was 
preaching  in  Bulu : “ Listen  carefully,  and 
we  will  tell  you  about  Christ.”  Then,  “ pray- 
ing much”  for  the  work  of  the  interior: 
“May  good  men  never  be  wanting  to  carry 
it  forward.”  Again,  he  is  on  the  road,  call- 
ing to  his  carriers  in  Mpongwe  and  battling 
with  the  obstacles  of  travel.  And  the  fever 
did  not  yield. 

Thursday,  near  noon,  in  a few  moments  of 
mental  clearness,  he  sent  his  last  messages. 
“ In  self-forgetful  prayer  ” he  commended  his 
brethren  to  God,  and  asked  for  more  laborers 
to  the  interior,  and  for  himself  preparation  for 
death.  All  the  afternoon,  wild  delirium — the 
last  struggle  of  a strong  vitality  and  abound- 
ing energy ; but  at  evening  a hush  fell.  The 
little  sixteen  by  twenty-eight  dwelling  at 
Efulen  was  shaken  with  a tread  more  stately 


286 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


than  cathedral  processional ; for  a messenger 
from  the  King  of  kings  was  at  the  door.  As 
peacefully  as  a child  falls  asleep  in  his  moth- 
er’s arms,  the  Spirit  returned  to  God. 

“ ‘A  hut  to  die  in  ! * Let  me  rest ; 

God  bids  me  fall  asleep ; 

Here  lay  my  pillow  down.  This  earth 
My  wearied  bones  shall  keep. 

u It  is  well  that  I die  upon  the  field 

Where  I have  lived  and  worked  and  fought ; 

I die  upon  my  shield.” 


The  Galwa  boys  from  the  Ogowe  were  first 
to  find  out  the  truth,  and,  heathen  fashion, 
were  disposed  to  wail,  but  quieted  at  a word 
of  warning.  The  tidings  flew  down  the  line 
of  Bulu  villages,  and  in  the  darkness  a motley 
company  of  men  and  boys  came  straying  up 
Efulen  Hill  and  seated  themselves  on  the 
ground,  each  on  his  piece  of  bark,  within  the 
radius  of  flickering  light  from  a fire  which 
was  burning  behind  the  house.  They  sent  in 
a request  to  the  missionaries  to  address  them, 
and,  overwrought  though  they  were  with 
nursing,  excitement,  and  grief,  they  came 
out  and  spoke  to  an  audience  at  the  moment 


THE  LAST  FIVE  MONTHS 


287 


strangely  solemn  and  receptive.  A funeral 
service  was  conducted  next  day  in  Bulu, 
Mpongwe,  and  English;  and,  significant  of 
the  scope  of  Dr.  Good’s  labors  in  Africa,  his 
last  “ carriers  ” were  two  Galwa,  two  Mpong- 
we, and  two  Bulu  men. 

The  spectacle  of  people  who,  a year  before, 
would  have  cared  nothing  for  a white  man’s 
death  now  coming  by  hundreds  to  express 
their  sympathy,  many  of  them  with  tears  of 
sincerity  in  their  eyes,  was  sufficient  evidence 
of  the  faithfulness  of  their  missionary  among 
them,  and  that  his  efforts  had  not  been  thrown 
away. 

Dr.  Good  died,  like  Hannington,  at  only 
thirty-eight 1 years  of  age.  The  one  penetrat- 


1 The  same  year  in  which  A.  C.  Good  was  appointed  to 
Africa  (1882-83),  twenty-six  other  men  were  also  com- 
missioned by  the  same  Board.  Of  that  number,  eight  are 
still  (1897)  in  active  service ; six  labored  among  the  North 
American  Indians,  averaging  a term  of  four  years  and  three 
months ; the  remaining  twelve  served  abroad  an  average 
period  of  six  years  and  three  months.  Dr.  Good's  missionary 
service  was  twelve  years  long— years  of  extraordinary  ex- 
posure. 

“ Nelson's  page  in  history,"  says  the  latest  biographer  of 
the  great  admiral,  “ covers  a little  more  than  twelve  years." 
(See  Mahan’s  “Life  of  Nelson,"  vol.  i.,  p.  96.) 


288 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


ing  the  continent  from  the  west  side,  the 
other  from  the  east,  both  moved  forward  to- 
wards the  heart  of  Africa,  and,  valorously 
carrying  the  standard  of  the  cross  something 
nearer  to  its  center,  held  it  with  their  solitary 
graves.  Let  the  army  come  up  to  the  colors ! 

The  last  halting-ground  of  the  pioneer  in 
Bululand  is  on  Efulen  hilltop,  overlooking 
towns  to  the  south.  It  is  encircled  with  a 
hedge  of  pineapple,  and  marked  by  a low 
bronze  monument  adapted  to  endure  the  cli- 
mate. This  was  sent  out  by  Montclair  friends, 
and  on  it  they  caused  to  be  engraved  these 
words:  “Faithful  unto  Death.” 

“ Lo,  I am  with  you  alway  ” has  been  com- 
ing down  the  ages,  and  it  came  to  the  support 
of  those  five  young  servants  of  Jesus  Christ 
left  at  Efulen.  They  were  Ford,  to  whose 
ear  the  last  messages  were  intrusted;  Kerr, 
on  whom  it  fell  to  make  the  coffin  for  his 
friend  and  counselor;  Johnson,  the  good 
physician ; Roberts,  at  the  moment  blind  from 
African  fever;  and  Fraser,  just  recovered 
from  his  first  attack.  There  was  no  flinching 


THE  LAST  FIVE  MONTHS 


289 


down  that  picket-line ; a tightening  on  of  the 
armor,  rather. 

“ Those  of  us  who  stood  at  his  bedside  have 
promised  not  only  Brother  Good,  but  Him 
who  gave  us  life  and  has  the  right  to  take  it, 
that  while  strength  and  life  last  we  will  be 
faithful  to  our  trust.” 1 Their  brief  message, 
cabled  to  America,  though  weighted  with 
sorrow  was  winged  by  courage : “ Send  more 
workers.”  A few  young  men,  like-spirited 
with  them,  raised  an  answering  signal  and 
stepped  out  from  the  ranks  of  the  church 
militant  to  join  their  brothers.  More  will 
follow.  The  second  station  is  manned. 
Echoes  from  Dr.  Good’s  instruction  float 
back  from  all  the  forest  paths. 

One  day  in  November,  1896,  Dr.  Johnson 
led  two  Bulu  young  men  into  the  same  little 
room  where  Dr.  Good  breathed  his  last,  and, 
after  a farewell  prayer  and  words  of  counsel, 
“ with  emotion  not  to  be  described,”  he 
watched  them  march  down  the  hill  towards 
somewhat  remote  towns.  These  were  the 
first  witnesses,  in  their  great  tribe,  to  catch  up 


1 Letter  from  Mr.  Kerr. 


290 


A LIFE  FOR  AFRICA 


the  evangel  which  had  reached  their  own 
hearts  and  attempt  to  pass  it  on.  They  were 
sent  to  give  their  testimony  by  the  wish  and 
at  the  charges  of  their  own  Bulu  school-fel- 
lows. This  was,  therefore,  the  initiative  of 
independent  proclamation  of  the  gospel  by 
Bulu  lips. 

And  so  a new  chord  has  been  struck  in  the 
new  song,  and  a voice  dumb  for  nineteen 
Christian  centuries  begins  to  blend  with  the 
sound  of  many  waters  before  the  Throne.  It 
is  the  prelude  of  the  victory,  when  the  glory 
of  the  King  shall  illuminate  the  farthest  river 
town  and  darkest  forest  tribe,  and,  remem- 
bering all  the  travail  of  his  soul,  he  shall  be 
satisfied  in  the  redemption  of  Africa. 


APPENDIX  A 

THE  SCIENTIFIC  LABORS  OF 
REV.  A.  C.  GOOD,  Ph.D. 

BY  W.  J.  HOLLAND,  LL.D.,  F.Z.S.,  ETC., 

CHANCELLOR  OF  THE  WESTERN  UNIVERSITY 
OF  PENNSYLVANIA 

MY  first  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Good  was  made 
during  his  senior  year  in  the  Western  Theo- 
logical Seminary  in  Allegheny.  Learning  that  he 
and  two  others  of  his  class  had  accepted  appoint- 
ments to  the  foreign  field,  I invited  the  three  young 
men  to  dine  with  me,  and  took  occasion  to  call 
their  attention  to  the  important  services  which  they 
might  incidentally  render  to  the  cause  of  science  in 
the  remote  regions  which  were  destined  to  be  the 
fields  of  their  labors.  One  was  going  to  China,  an- 
other to  Siam,  and  Mr.  Good  had  accepted  an  ap- 
pointment to  the  mission  in  West  Africa. 

I furnished  them  with  some  preliminary  instruc- 
tions to  guide  them  in  the  work  of  collecting  en- 
tomological specimens,  and  assured  them  of  my 
readiness  to  aid  them  and  to  remunerate  them  for 
the  efforts  which  they  might  make  to  enrich  n^ 
entomological  collections,  the  money  which  they 
would  receive  to  be  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the 
Board  if  they  should  so  elect. 

291 


292 


APPENDIX  A 


The  three  remembered  my  request,  and  I received 
from  them  at  different  times  collections  of  value. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Good,  however,  proved  himself  speed- 
ily to  be  the  most  deeply  interested  of  the  three, 
and  during  the  entire  time  of  his  stay  in  West 
Africa,  up  to  the  time  of  his  lamented  death,  he 
proved  a most  capable  and  intelligent  collector. 

I have  no  means  of  ascertaining  the  exact  number 
of  specimens  which  he  gathered  for  me,  but  they 
aggregate  many  thousands.  His  collections  were 
almost  wholly  confined  to  the  Lepidoptera  (butter- 
flies and  moths)  and  Coleoptera  (beetles),  although 
I received  from  him  valuable  specimens  of  birds 
and  mammals,  among  the  latter  a magnificent 
specimen  of  a gorilla,  skin  and  skeleton,  which, 
mounted  by  Mr.  F.  S.  Webster,  is  at  present  de- 
posited in  the  Carnegie  Museum  in  the  city  of 
Pittsburg. 

Acting  under  my  instructions,  Mr.  Good  paid 
especial  attention  to  working  out  the  life-history 
of  the  Lepidoptera  of  West  Africa,  and  I have  in 
my  possession  a large  number  of  manuscript  notes, 
some  few  of  which  I have  already  published,  and 
the  remainder  of  which  are  still  awaiting  the  time 
when  I shall  be  able  to  render  them  justice.  His 
collections  of  Lepidoptera  have  furnished  the  basis 
of  a number  of  articles  which  have,  from  time  to 
time,  appeared  in  various  scientific  journals. 

The  principal  articles  based,  in  whole  or  in  part, 
upon  the  collections  of  Mr.  Good  in  this  field  are 
the  following : 

(1)  “ Contributions  to  the  Knowledge  of  the 
Lepidoptera  of  West  Africa.”  By  W.  J.  Holland. 
Transactions  of  the  American  Entomological  Society, 
vol.  xiii.,  pp.  325-332,  Plates  Yin.,  IX.,  December, 
1886. 

(2)  “ Contributions  to  the  Knowledge  of  the 


APPENDIX  4 


293 


Lepidoptera  of  West  Africa.”  Part  II.  By  W.  J. 
Holland.  Transactions  of  the  American  Entomolog- 
ical Society , vol.  vi.,  pp.  55-70,  Plates  II.,  III.,  IV., 
February,  1889. 

(3)  “ Description  of  New  Species  of  African  Hes- 
periidaB.”  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Entomological  News , 
pp.  155,  156,  December,  1890. 

(4)  “Description  of  New  Species  of  African 
Hesperiidae .”  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Entomological 
NeivSj  pp.  3-5,  January,  1891. 

(5)  “Description  of  New  West  African  Lycae- 
nidaB.”  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Psyche , vol.  v.,  pp. 
423-431,  November,  1890. 

(6)  “Description  of  New  West  African  Lycae- 
nidas.”  Part  II.  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Psyche , 
vol.  v.,  pp.  50-53,  March,  1891. 

(7)  “ The  Life-History  of  Spalgis  s-signata.”  By 
W.  J.  Holland.  Psyche , vol.  vi.,  pp.  201-203, 
Plate  IV.,  1892. 

(8)  “Notes  upon  the  Transformation  of  Some 
African  Lepidoptera.”  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Psyche , 
vol.  vi.,  pp.  213-216,  Plate  V.,  1892. 

(9)  “ Description  of  Some  New  Species  of  Afri- 
can Lepidoptera.”  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Annals  and 
Magazine  of  Natural  History , pp.  284-295,  October, 
1892. 

(10)  “ The  Genus  Hollandia.”  By  Arthur  Gard- 
ner Butler.  Annals  and  Magazine  of  Natural  History , 
October,  1892. 

(11)  “New  Species  of  Neptis  from  Africa.”  By 
W.  J.  Holland.  Entomological  News , vol.  iii.,  pp. 
248,  249,  Plate  IX.,  December,  1892. 

(12)  “ Some  New  and  Little-Known  African 
Butterflies.”  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Entomological 
News , vol.  iv.,  pp.  22-27,  Plate  I.,  January,  1893. 

(13)  “ Communal  Cocoons,  and  the  Moths  Which 
Weave  Them.”  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Annual  Ad- 


294 


APPENDIX  A 


dress  of  the  Retiring  President  of  the  Cambridge 
Entomological  Club.  Psyche , vol.  vi.,  pp.  385-391, 
Plate  IX.,  February,  1893. 

(14)  “ New  African  Nyctemerkhe  and  Liparidae.” 
By  W.  J.  Holland.  Entomological  News , vol.  iv.,  pp. 
59-62,  Plate  III.,  February,  1893. 

(15)  “New  Genera  and  Species  of  West  African 
Limacodidae.”  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Entomological 
News , vol.  iv .,  pp.  102-108,  Plate  VII.,  March,  1893. 

(16)  “Three  New  African  Bombycids.”  By 
W.  J.  Holland.  Entomological  News , vol.  iv.,  pp. 
136-138,  Plate  VIII.,  April,  1893. 

(17)  “New  Species  of  West  African  Drepanu- 
lidaB.”  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Entomological  News, 
vol.  iv.,  pp.  171-180,  Plate  IX.,  May,  1893. 

(18)  “New  Exotic  Lepidoptera.”  ByW.  J.  Hol- 
land. Entomological  News , vol.  iv.,  pp.  337-344, 
Plate  XV.,  December,  1893. 

(19)  “Description  of  Four  New  West  African 
Butterflies.”  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Canadian  Ento- 
mologist, vol.  xv.,  pp.  1-3,  January,  1893. 

(20)  “ Description  of  New  Species  and  Genera  of 
West  African  Lepidoptera.”  Bv  W.  J.  Holland. 
Psyche , vol.  vi.,  pp.  373-376,  393-400,  411-418,  431- 
434,  451-454,  469-476,  487-490,  513-520,  531-538, 
549-552,  565-568,  five  plates,  numerous  cuts. 

(21)  “ New  and  Undescribed  Genera  and  Species 
of  West  African  Noctuidae”  By  W.  J.  Holland. 
Psyche,  vol.  vii.,pp.  7-10,  27-34, 47-50,  67-70,  83-90 
109-128,  141-144,  Plates  I.-V.,  1894. 

(22)  “Four  New  Genera  and  Species  of  West 
African  Sesiidae.”  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Journal,  New 
York  Entomological  Society , vol.  i.,  pp.  181-184, 
1894. 

(23)  “ African  Hesperiidae.”  By  W.  J.  Holland. 
Entomological  News , vol.  v.,  pp.  26-31,  one  plate, 
January,  1894. 


APPENDIX  A 


295 


(24)  “New  West  African  Dysgoniidae.77  By 
W.  J.  Holland.  Entomological  News,  vol.  v.,  pp. 
57-59,  Plate  V.,  February,  1894. 

(25)  “Some  New  and  Little-Known  African 
Hesperiidae.77  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Entomological 
News , vol.  v.,  pp.  89-95,  Plate  III.,  March,  1894. 

(26)  “ Two  New  African  Lycaenids.”  By  W.  J. 
Holland.  Entomological  News , vol.  vi.,  pp.  166-168, 
May,  1895. 

(27)  “Synonymic  Catalogue  of  the  Hesperiidae 
of  Africa.77  By  W.  J.  Holland.  Proceedings  of  the 
Zoological  Society , London,  pp.  1-107,  Plates  I.-V., 
January,  1896. 

(28)  “A  New  African  Saturniid.77  By  W.  J. 
Holland.  Entomological  News , vol.  vii.,  pp.  133-135, 
Plate  VI.,  May,  1896. 

(29)  “Western  Equatorial  African  Microlepi- 
doptera.77  By  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  Walsingham.  Trans- 
actions of  the  En  tomological  Society , London,  pp.  33- 
67,  Plates  II.,  III.,  1897. 

In  the  twenty-nine  papers  which  have  thus  far 
been  published  by  various  authors,  principally  by 
the  writer,  and  which  are  founded  almost  wholly 
upon  the  collections  of  Dr.  Good,  five  hundred  and 
forty-seven  species  and  seventy-two  genera  new  to 
science  are  described,  for  the  discovery  of  which 
we  are  indebted  to  him. 

The  collections  made  by  Dr.  Good  have  not  yet 
been  nearly  exhausted,  and  there  remain  many 
species  yet  to  be  determined  and  characterized.  It 
will  be  seen  from  this  statement  that  he  has  prob- 
ably added  more  largely  to  our  knowledge  of  the 
insect  forms  of  Africa  than  any  other  single  col- 
lector who  has  labored  in  that  field. 

The  Coleoptera  collected  by  him  aggregate  several 
thousand  species,  and  have  as  yet  scarcely  received 
any  attention  whatever,  which  is  deeply  to  be  re- 


296 


APPENDIX  A 


gretted,  as  these  collections  are  singularly  large 
and  perfect. 

When  time  shall  have  been  found  to  work  out 
fully  the  accumulated  treasures  amassed  by  the 
industry  of  Dr.  Good,  it  is  more  than  probable  that 
he  will  have  been  found  to  have  discovered  over  a 
thousand  species  new  to  science ; and  this  labor 
was  accomplished  by  him  without  in  any  way  inter- 
fering with  the  strict  performance  of  his  duties 
as  a Christian  missionary.  His  work  was  largely 
that  of  direction,  he  having  trained  and  employed 
young  natives  connected  with  the  schools,  who  were 
taught  to  vigilantly  search  for  specimens.  Of 
course  upon  his  lengthy  journeys  he  never  failed 
to  carry  with  him  his  insect  net  and  poison  jar,  and 
it  was  upon  the  occasion  of  these  journeys  that  he 
succeeded  in  capturing  many  of  the  most  interest- 
ing specimens  which  were  forwarded  to  the  writer. 

It  has  sometimes  been  said  that  Christian  mis- 
sionaries are  deficient  in  those  qualities  which  make 
men  eminently  practical,  and  that  they  are  blind  to 
the  things  of  the  world  about  them.  This  certainly 
cannot  be  said  of  Dr.  Good,  and  he  is  one  of  a great 
number  of  the  servants  of  the  church  who,  while 
faithfully  attending  to  their  ecclesiastical  duties, 
have  been  promoters  of  true  science. 

Among  the  many  curious  discoveries  made  by 
Dr.  Good  was  that  of  the  carnivorous  habits  of  the 
larvae  of  a small  West  African  butterfly  belonging 
to  the  genus  Spalgis.  The  caterpillar  of  this  little 
creature  feeds  upon  aphids,  and  is  thus  in  its  habits 
allied  to  a North  American  butterfly  of  rather  rare 
occurrence,  known  to  collectors  as  the  Tarquin 
butterfly,  Feniseca  Tarquinms.  At  the  time  the 
discovery  of  the  aphidivorous  habits  of  this  butter- 
fly was  announced  by  the  writer,  he  called  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  same  habit  was  known  to  char- 


APPENDIX  A 


297 


acterize  another  species  of  the  same  genus,  Spalgis 
Epius , which  is  found  in  southern  India  and  Ceylon. 
In  the  “ Journal  of  the  Bombay  Natural  History 
Society/7  vol.  viii.,  Mr.  E.  H.  Aitken  presented  an 
account  of  Spalgis  Epius , illustrating  it  by  a repro- 
duction of  the  plate  given  by  the  author  in  his 
original  description  of  Spalgis  s-signata , as  well  as 
by  a plate  of  Epius  itself.  More  remarkable,  per- 
haps, than  the  carnivorous  habits  of  these  two  ob- 
scure little  butterflies  is  the  singular  resemblance 
presented  by  the  chrysalis  to  the  face  of  an  ape,  to 
which  attention  was  called  by  Dr.  Good.  Nothing, 
perhaps,  more  grotesque  or  curious  has  been  dis- 
covered in  the  animal  kingdom ; and  many  natural- 
ists have  written  to  the  writer,  protesting  that  his 
plate  must  have  involved  an  exaggeration,  which, 
however,  is  not  the  case. 

The  same  ape-like  face  appears  upon  the  chrysa- 
lis of  the  Tarquinius  butterfly. 

Another  very  interesting  observation  made  by 
Dr.  Good  was  upon  the  communal  habits  of  certain 
caterpillars  belonging  to  moths  of  the  order  Lipari- 
dce.  These  caterpillars  are  gregarious,  and  when 
they  come  to  the  time  of  metamorphosis  they  weave 
for  themselves  a large  outer  cocoon  of  brown  silk, 
in  which  they  again  construct,  each  one  for  itself, 
a smaller  cocoon  in  which  they  undergo  transfor- 
mation into  the  chrysalis,  and  from  which  they  ulti- 
mately emerge  as  moths.  As  many  as  one  hundred 
moths  emerge  from  one  of  these  larger  cocoons. 
Dr.  Charles  Coquerel,  as  early  as  1854,  described 
this  phenomenon  as  observed  in  the  case  of  a moth 
which  is  not  uncommon  in  Madagascar.  In  1885 
Lord  Walsingham  published  an  elaborate  article 
upon  the  subject  in  the  “ Transactions  of  the  Lin- 
nean  Society  of  London.77  The  next  addition  to 
our  knowledge  of  the  subject  was  founded  upon 


298 


APPENDIX  A 


the  specimens  collected  by  Dr.  Good  and  as  de- 
scribed in  the  paper  numbered  13  in  the  foregoing 
list  of  papers.  The  writer  ventures  to  predict  that 
this  communal  habit  will  be  found  to  characterize 
a large  series  of  moths  allied  in  structure  to  the 
genera  Anaplie  and  (Ecura . 

Many  interesting  notes  were  made  by  Dr.  Good 
upon  the  singular  migrations  made  by  swarms  of 
tropical  butterflies.  Slany  writers  have  called  at- 
tention to  the  great  clouds  of  butterflies  which  are 
observed  making  migrations,  but  Dr.  Good  in  his 
observations  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  these 
migrations  appear  in  West  Africa  to  frequently 
take  the  direction  of  the  approaching  rains  at  the 
opening  of  the  rainy  season,  though  the  reverse 
is  also  occasionally  true.  Thousands  of  insects 
emerging  from  chrysalids  seem  to  rise  and  hasten 
away  in  the  direction  of  the  rains,  the  coming  of 
which  is  anticipated  by  all  animate  nature  after 
the  period  of  drought,  which  in  the  tropics  takes 
the  place  of  winter  in  latitudes  nearer  the  poles. 

In  one  of  his  journeys  Dr.  Good  discovered,  in 
Lake  Onanga,  an  island  tenanted  by  immense 
swarms  of  large  bats,  which  hung  during  the  heat 
of  the  day  pendent  from  the  branches  of  the  trees, 
and  in  the  evening  and  early  morning  were  seen  in 
vast  swarms  going  forth  and  returning  to  their 
resting-place.  Unfortunately,  none  of  these  bats 
were  collected  by  him. 

I might  fill  many  pages  with  accounts  given  me, 
in  letters  and  orally,  by  Dr.  Good  of  the  strange 
habits  of  the  animals  of  the  region  in  which  he 
labored;  but  the  few  pages  allotted  to  me  in  the 
preparation  of  this  little  volume  forbid. 

Dr.  Good  was  a brave  and  skilful  field  naturalist, 
and  in  his  death  science  sustained  a genuine  loss. 


APPENDIX  B 

SUPERSTITIONS  AND  RELIGIOUS 
IDEAS  OF  EQUATORIAL  WEST 
AFRICA,  ESPECIALLY  OF 
THE  GrALWA  TRIBE 

A PAPER  BY  A.  C.  GOOD,  Ph.D.,  1893. 
[Condensed  by  the  author  of  this  volume.] 

IT  seems  as  if  Paul  must  have  known  the  Galwa 
of  the  Ogowe  when  he  wrote  Hebrews  ii.  15 : 
“ Through  fear  of  death  ...  all  their  lifetime  sub- 
ject to  bondage.” 

Clinging  desperately  to  dear  life  in  a world 
which  he  fancies  is  full  of  enemies,  corporeal  and 
spiritual,  he  is  daily  tortured  with  suspicion  and 
superstitious  fear.  Every  unexpected  occurrence 
is  an  omen.  Every  unusual  place  or  object  harbors 
a spirit  presumably  hostile.  He  sees  in  every  per- 
son who  has  anything  to  gain  by  his  death  or  mis- 
fortune an  enemy  who  is  trying,  by  means  of 
charms,  incantations,  or  witchcraft,  to  work  him 
harm. 

These  objects  of  dread,  and  the  means  employed 
to  counteract  their  influence,  fall  into  definable 
classes. 

First,  I will  mention  the  Abambo  (singular, 
299 


300 


APPENDIX  B 


Ibanibo),  or  spirits  of  the  dead.  They  abide  in  a 
state  of  weakness  and  monotonous  misery  in  Ilom- 
bo,  which  is  at  times  spoken  of  as  a place  much  like 
the  old  Greek  Hades,  at  other  times  as  if  a state, 
for  Abambo  are  thought  to  hover  about  the  place 
where  the  body  is  buried,  and  are  free  to  return  to 
this  world  to  harm  or  help. 

These  spirits  are  not  indiscriminate  in  their  at- 
tentions. They  make  no  new  acquaintances  among 
the  living,  and  so  a stranger  to  one  in  life  has  no 
fear  of  the  same  after  death.  A wife,  a slave,  a 
child,  or  any  person  of  whom  one  was  not  afraid  in 
life  is  not  feared  as  an  Ibambo.  The  passions  and 
feelings  that  influenced  men  in  this  life  are  sup- 
posed to  animate  their  disembodied  spirits.  For 
example,  a man  may  dislike  his  prospective  heir  and 
say,  “ I don’t  want  you  to  inherit  anything  from 
me.”  His  saying  so  will  not  hinder  the  person 
from  taking  the  share  allotted  to  him  by  custom, 
but  he  has  no  peace  of  mind  afterwards.  He  has 
horrid  dreams.  He  sees  the  spirit  of  his  dead  an- 
cestor coming  to  him  with  angry  face  and  threaten- 
ing gestures.  So  he  kills  a goat  or  fowl,  prepares 
food,  and  sets  it  by  the  grave  of  the  dead  man. 
He  has  now  made  reparation.  His  conscience  is 
easy  and  he  dreams  no  more.  The  spirit  may  hence- 
forth become  his  ally.  Those  who  inherit  with  the 
good  will  of  the  spirit  also  see  him  in  dreams,  but 
always  as  a friend.  They,  too,  make  offerings  of 
food  to  his  skull  or  at  the  grave,  thinking  to  secure 
protection  in  any  enterprise  they  undertake. 

These  spirits  are  especially  dreaded  where  we 
would  least  expect  it.  A wife  who  was  not  liked 
by  her  husband  has  little  to  fear  from  him  after 
his  death.  He  has  had  enough  of  her.  But  the 
favorite  wife  is  in  great  dread.  As  he  loved  her  in 
this  world,  he  will  miss  her  in  Ilombo,  and  will  try 


APPENDIX  B 


301 


to  cause  her  death  that  he  may  have  her  with  him. 
The  same  with  a favorite  slave  on  whom  his  master 
greatly  depended  in  this  world.  Such  persons  at 
once  paint  or  mark  their  bodies  with  certain  pow- 
ders prepared  by  a medicine  man,  that  will  make  it 
impossible  for  the  spirit  of  the  dead  person  to  rec- 
ognize them.  If  they  are  taken  with  illness,  it  is 
the  dead  husband  or  master ; or  in  a dream  they 
see  him  calling  for  them.  At  once  they  give  up  all 
hope,  and  often  die,  every  such  case  strengthening 
the  Galwa7s  belief  in  the  reality  and  power  of  these 
Abambo. 

Another  proof  which  the  Galwa  cites  of  the  exis- 
tence of  such  spirits  is  the  nightmare.  As  he  is 
quietly  sleeping  he  is  suddenly  seized  by  some  in- 
visible, intangible  object,  which  holds  him  down  so 
that  he  cannot  move  or  speak.  At  length  he  man- 
ages to  free  himself  and  yells  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
when  the  spirit  flies.  It  is  a dead  relative  probably, 
but  no  matter.  He  loads  the  offending  ghost  with 
the  most  fearful  curses:  “Die  a second  death77; 
“ May  you  get  into  an  endless  swamp 77  or  “ fall  into 
a lake  of  njogolo 77  (a  plant  growing  in  still  water, 
covering  the  surface  with  leaves,  and  rendering 
swimming  impossible,  but  offering  no  support  to 
the  swimmer). 

It  has  been  claimed  that  all  this  is  not  belief  in 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  but  only  in  ghosts. 
Captain  Burton  is  quoted  as  saying,  “ The  negroes 
believe  in  a ghost,  but  not  in  a spirit ; in  a present 
immaterial,  but  not  in  a future.77  Du  Chaillu  says, 
speaking  of  the  Nkami,  whose  customs  and  beliefs 
are  almost  exactly  those  of  the  Galwa : “ Ask  the 
negro  where  is  the  spirit  of  his  great-grandfather. 
He  says  he  does  not  know ; it  is  done.  Ask  him 
about  the  spirit  of  his  father  who  died  yesterday ; 
then  he  is  full  of  fear  and  terror,77 


302 


APPENDIX  B 


Certainly  the  negro  does  not,  in  thought,  go 
beyond  the  ghost  to  the  abstract  idea  of  spirit. 
He  has  no  abstract  word  “ color, ; 77  but  only  names 
for  separate  colors.  He  has  no  proper  word  for 
“ spirit/7  but  he  believes  in  at  least  three  classes 
of  invisible,  incorporeal  beings.  The  Galwa  will 
say  that  the  spirit  of  his  great-grandfather  “is 
done/7  by  which  he  means  no  longer  appears  in 
dreams  to  the  living.  But  the  chief  of  that  same 
inan7s  village,  when  sickness  or  trouble  comes,  prays 
for  help  to  the  Abambo,  not  of  those  recently  dead 
only,  but  especially  to  “the  spirits  of  long  ago.77 

Next  to  the  Abambo  we  may  place  the  Imbwiry 
(singular,  Ombwiry).  These  are  not  the  spirits  of 
dead  men.  As  to  their  origin,  possibly  the  original 
idea  was  that  every  natural  object,— tree,  rock,  hill, 
— every  body  of  water,  was  the  embodiment  of  a 
spirit  more  or  less  powerful  according  to  the  object 
in  which  it  resides.  The  Galwa  only  thinks  of  the 
Imbwiry  as  inhabiting  objects  and  places  about 
which  there  is  something  fearful  or  phenomenal— 
an  unusually  large  vine,  a whirlpool,  a huge  ele- 
phant, a dark  ravine,  a precipice,  etc.  This  is  not 
pantheism,  or  anything  like  it.  A large  tree  where 
a powerful  Ombwiry  has  for  years  been  worshiped 
is  cut  down  by  people  of  another  tribe  who  do  not 
believe  in  this  particular  superstition.  You  ask  the 
Galwa  why  those  people  have,  unharmed,  destroyed 
the  home  of  their  Ombwiry,  and  they  say  that  tribe 
has  a powerful  fetish  which  has  proved  too  strong 
for  the  spirit  so  long  dreaded  by  themselves. 
“Where  is  the  Ombwiry  that  so  long  lived  in  that 
tree  ? 77  “ He  is  gone ; we  do  not  know  where.77 

These  spirits  may  be  won  over  to  befriend  men 
by  suitable  offerings,  but  are  easily  offended,  and 
when  angry  are  able  to  produce  every  species  of 
misfortune,  even  death.  Their  anger  is  often  in- 


APPENDIX  B 


303 


curred  unconsciously.  Where  one  had  no  thought 
of  there  being  an  Ombwiry,  he  does  something 
disrespectful  to  the  spirit  of  the  place,— walking 
carelessly  by  is  enough,— and  soon  after  is  taken  ill. 
A medicine  man  is  called,  who  informs  him  of  what 
he  now  learns  for  the  first  time— that  that  place 
harbors  an  Ombwiry,  which  he  has  offended.  The 
doctor,  for  a consideration,  of  course,  prepares  a 
suitable  libation,  which  he  pours  out  to  the  spirit 
of  the  place,  and  the  matter  is  settled.  It  is  worthy 
of  remark  that  offerings  to  the  Imbwiry  are  never, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  Abambo,  food,  but  always  a 
preparation  of  roots,  leaves,  etc.,  of  the  nature  of  a 
fetish.  The  workings  of  this  superstition  are  ex- 
tremely absurd  and  to  the  white  man  often  vexa- 
tious. On  a certain  hill  no  garden  can  be  made. 
A piece  of  ground  cannot  be  cleared  because  of 
some  vine  or  tree  inhabited  by  one  of  these  spirits. 
The  white  man  hears  of  some  natural  curiosity 
which  he  wishes  to  see,  but,  ten  to  one,  no  one  will 
show  him  the  way  for  fear  of  offending  the  spirit 
of  the  place. 

In  passing,  I must  refer  to  a form  of  service 
rendered  alike  by  both  these  classes  of  spirits. 
There  are  certain  men  and  women,  whom  I will 
call  doctors  for  want  of  a better  name,  who  are  in 
league  with  one  or  the  other  of  these  classes  of  in- 
visible beings.  When  some  one  is  ill,  or  thinks  his 
luck  has  deserted  him,  he  calls  either  an  Abambo 
or  an  Imbwiry  doctor  and  asks  what  is  wrong.  All 
the  family  are  called  together.  A small  house  is 
built  in  the  street,  in  which  the  doctor  arranges  his 
fetishes  and  performs  his  incantations.  Drums  are 
beaten  by  the  men,  the  women  sing,  the  doctor 
dances  and  goes  through  mysterious  ceremonies ; 
sometimes  he  pretends  to  go  into  a trance  or  ecstatic 
state,  This  goes  on  all  night,  sometimes  three  or 


304 


APPENDIX  B 


four  nights.  All  this  is  necessary  to  diagnose  the 
case.  At  last  the  spirit  responds,  and  the  doctor’s 
announcement  is  ready.  The  sick  man  has  offended 
an  Ombwiry  and  must  make  an  offering.  Or  he 
has  been  quarreling  with  some  member  of  his  fam- 
ily ; he  must  make  peace  and  supplicate  the  offended 
dead.  Or  he  is  bewitched,  and  they  must  find  the 
witch.  No  form  of  initiation  is  necessary  to  become 
a doctor,  only  enough  shrewdness  to  swindle  a 
very  stupid  public. 

One  of  the  chief  functions  of  the  office  of  chief  is 
to  make  supplications  to  the  Abambo  of  the  tribe 
and  to  the  Imbwiry  of  the  neighborhood.  Just  at 
dusk  he  goes  with  his  sacred  bell  into  the  bush  be- 
hind the  town,  and  there  offers  a real  prayer  for 
protection  and  help  on  behalf  of  the  whole  village. 

But  most  to  be  dreaded  of  all  the  malign  influ- 
ences that  conspire  to  make  a Galwa’s  life  uncertain 
are  the  Anyemba,  or  witches. 

Some  men  are  supposed  to  have  the  power  of 
“going  out”  from  their  bodies  during  sleep;  i.e., 
their  invisible  part,  or  Invemba,  has  this  power, 
and  may  go  even  long  distances  to  “eat”  those 
whom  they  wish  to  injure.  This  “eating”  is  not, 
of  course,  corporeal.  The  Inyemba  eats  of  its 
enemy  that  which  corresponds  to  itself,  i.e.,  the 
spiritual  part.  After  being  thus  “ eaten  ” the  body 
seems  intact,  but  bad  luck,  sickness,  or  death  is 
likely  to  follow  sooner  or  later.  The  ignis  fatuns 
hovering  over  a swamp,  the  meteor  flashing  across 
the  sky,  are  such  Anyemba  on  their  way  to  “eat” 
an  enemy.  To  defend  themselves  against  witch- 
craft, the  Galwa  have  a complicated  system  of 
fetishes  and  ceremonies  which  secure  the  protection 
of  certain  friendly  spirits  called  Ilogo.  These 
often  mortally  wound  the  witches  that  come  to 
harm  their  patrons, 


APPENDIX  B 


305 


A long  article  would  be  the  result  if  I attempted 
to  go  into  the  details  of  this  branch  of  African 
superstition.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  every  sickness, 
every  misfortune,  is  presumptive  evidence  that  the 
sufferer  has  an  enemy  who  is  working  him  harm ; 
and  that  enemy  is  presumably  a member  of  his  clan 
or  family,  some  one  who  has  reason  to  be  jealous 
of  him,  or  something  to  gain  by  his  death  or  mis- 
fortune. Perhaps  it  is  his  wife  who  seeks  to  free 
herself  that  she  may  marry  another  5 a brother  who 
will  inherit  his  property  and  wives ; or  it  is  a rival 
aspirant  for  rank  in  the  tribe.  Remembering  this, 
imagine,  if  you  can,  the  suspicion,  the  angry  crimina- 
tion and  recrimination  within  the  family  and  tribe, 
that  must  arise  from  this  fearful  superstition. 

These  are  samples,  not  a summary,  of  the  super- 
stitions of  this  one  tribe,  and  even  this  outline  is 
very  incomplete.  There  remain  several  systems  ( ?) 
of  belief  and  practice  which  I can  only  name.  There 
is  Okwy,  a fraud  practised  by  the  men  on  the 
women  to  keep  them  in  their  proper  sphere ; there 
is  Njembe,  practised  almost  exclusively  by  women  ; 
and  Bweti,  in  which  an  image  is  set  up,  before 
which  men  dance  and  worship.  This  last  seems  to 
be  true  idolatry  as  distinguished  from  fetishism. 
These  last  two  have  been  introduced  among  the 
Galwa  in  recent  times  by  their  slaves,  brought  down 
from  the  interior. 

An  outline  of  African  superstition  would  be 
incomplete  without  a brief  account  of  fetishism. 
What  is  a fetish?  It  may  be  anything— pieces  of 
food,  of  human  bones,  bark,  snakes’  teeth,  leaves, 
roots,  etc.  A fetish  is  usually  a mixture  of  such 
objects,  the  exact  composition  of  which  is  some 
man’s  secret.  But  it  must  not  be  understood  that 
the  African  chooses  at  random  and  calls  any  object 
a fetish.  It  looks  so  to  us;  his  reasoning  seems 


306 


APPENDIX  B 


absurd  and  fantastic ; but  to  these  grown-up  chil- 
dren their  fetishism  seems  profound  wisdom.  The 
fetish  is  not  of  any  value  in  itself ; i.e.,  it  is  not 
from  his  fetish  that  a man  expects  to  obtain  help, 
but  from  some  animal  or  spirit  with  which  his  fe- 
tish brings  him  into  mysterious  connection.  Among 
the  Galwa  there  are  fetishes  supposed  to  secure  to 
their  owner  the  protection  of  the  Imbwiry,  others 
of  the  Abambo,  others,  again,  of  the  Ilogo. 

There  are  also  fetishes  to  animals,  to  certain  in- 
sects, even  to  weeds.  A man  makes  or  buys  a fetish 
to  a certain  tree.  It  contains  a piece  of  the  bark 
of  that  tree,  or  of  another  tree  of  that  kind.  Hav- 
ing chosen  that  tree  as  his  ally,  he  must  not  cut 
down  or  injure  any  of  that  species,  or  his  fetish 
will  no  longer  help  him,  may  even  turn  against 
him.  Does  he,  then,  think  of  the  trees  of  a given 
species  as  sentient  beings?  The  better  educated 
among  the  Galwa  usually  answer  the  above  ques- 
tion affirmatively,  but  so  hesitatingly  that  I am  not 
convinced.  Among  the  uneducated,  who  alone  con- 
tinue to  practise  fetishism,  I can  find  no  clear  ideas 
as  to  the  philosophy  of  their  fetishism.  The 
modern  Galwa’s  reasoning  is  near  the  surface  of 
things. 

A chief  of  small  influence  looks  about  him  for 
some  means  of  increasing  his  power.  He  notices  a 
certain  kind  of  tree  which  grows  to  an  enormous 
size,  overtopping  all  its  neighbors.  “ Surely,”  he 
says,  “ that  tree  has  the  secret  of  greatness  ” ; and 
so  he  makes  a fetish  to  that  tree.  Or  he  sees  how 
many  bees  are  in  a bee-tree  and  how  they  multiply. 
So  he  makes  a fetish  to  the  bees,  that  his  town  may 
become  as  populous  as  the  bee-tree.  The  leopard 
is  the  strongest  beast  of  prey  known  to  the  Galwa. 
A man  wishes  to  engage  in  trade,  so  he  makes  a 
fetish  to  the  leopard,  that  he  may  be  among  men 


APPENDIX  B 


30? 


what  the  leopard  is  among  animals  in  the  forest. 
These  examples  might  be  multiplied  indefinitely. 
Hardly  a tree  or  plant,  bird  or  fish,  beast  or  insect, 
that  has  not  some  quality  which  some  man  tries  to 
acquire  for  himself  by  means  of  a fetish.  There 
are  trade  fetishes,  fetishes  to  help  a man  secure 
a wife,  fetishes  for  oratory,  love-charms,  hunting 
fetishes,  and  fetishes  innumerable  for  the  preven- 
tion and  cure  of  disease.  If  a man  wants  success  of 
any  sort,  the  one  thing  he  never  thinks  of  is  work- 
ing for  it  or  deserving  it ; not  he  ! Why  should 
he,  when  for  a small  sum  he  can  purchase  a fetish 
that  will  give  him  his  desire  by  its  magic  influence, 
and  leave  him  to  loaf  and  lounge  in  blissful  idle- 
ness? 

One  other  fetish  deserves  mention— the  life  fetish. 
A doctor  prepares  a mixture  into  which  he  puts 
some  of  his  patron’s  hair,  finger-nails,  etc.  This  is 
carried  to  some  lonely  spot  in  the  deep  forest  and 
hidden  in  a hollow  tree,  or  it  is  taken  by  night  and 
sunk  in  the  deepest  part  of  the  river.  Then  the 
man  thinks  he  is  safe,  for  his  life  is  hidden  in  that 
fetish  where  no  enemy  can  find  it. 

Fetishism  is  not  worship,  and  fetishes  are  not 
gods.  Though  he  has  a separate  name  for  each,  the 
Oalwa  calls  both  the  dose  which  the  white  man 
gives  him  to  drink  and  the  charm  he  wears  about 
his  neck  or  hangs  above  the  door  of  his  hut  by  the 
same  general  name,  u medicine.”  He  buys  a fetish 
just  as  a sick  person  buys  a patent  medicine.  If  he 
recovers  from  sickness  or  is  successful  in  trade,  the 
reputation  of  the  fetish  is  increased.  But  often 
the  contrary  is  true.  Then  the  person  of  whom  he 
bought  it  explains,  u The  fetish  is  all  right,  but  it 
does  not  like  you  ” In  that  case  he  never  thinks  of 
abusing  it,  as  if  it  had  personality.  He  simply 
throws  it  away,  and  tries  another  and  another,  just 


308 


APPENDIX  B 


as  a confirmed  invalid  will  throw  aside  as  useless, 
one  after  another,  several  kinds  of  medicine. 

This  is  a very  imperfect  outline  of  the  supersti- 
tions of  one  African  tribe.  It  is,  with  slight  vari- 
ations in  details,  an  outline  of  those  of  all  Equa- 
torial West  Africa,  if  not  all  pagan  Africa.  I say 
“ superstitions,”  because  we  have  here  no  religious 
ideas,  in  any  proper  sense  of  the  term.  To  none  of 
these  spirits  which  he  fears  and  seeks  to  placate 
does  the  Galwa  attribute  creative  power.  He 
never  thinks  of  them  as  having  special  influence  on 
his  condition  after  death.  In  all  his  incantations, 
fetishism,  worship,  and  supplication  of  spirits  there 
is  not  one  thought  of  preparation  for  a future 
world,  only  an  intense  desire  to  keep  out  of  that 
next  world  as  long  as  possible.  Yet  these  super- 
stitions are  what  most  writers  on  Africa  have  called 
the  u religion  ” of  this  country.  But  if  we  stop  here 
we  shall  have  a very  imperfect  view  of  their  reli- 
gious ideas. 

In  addition  to  this  mask  of  superstition,  the 
Galwa  has  a distinct  idea  of  a Deity,  the  Maker 
and  Preserver  of  all  things.  Ask  any  man,  woman, 
or  child  among  them,  “ Who  made  all  things  ? ” and 
without  a moment's  hesitation  he  will  reply, 
“Anyambie.”  Ask  him,  “Who  is  the  Creator  of 
all  men,  the  Author  of  life  and  death?”  and  while 
the  question  is  in  that  general  form  he  will  reply, 
“Anyambie.”  True,  all  his  superstitious  practices 
are  inconsistent  with  such  a belief,  but  that  does 
not  in  the  least  disturb  him. 

It  will  be  asserted  (indeed,  has  been  by  some  who 
could  not  reconcile  the  existence  of  such  an  idea 
with  their  preconceived  notions)  that  these  views 
of  Anvambie  have  been  introduced  by  missionaries 
and  are  no  part  of  the  indigenous  religious  thought 
of  Africa.  That  such  is  not  the  case  it  will  be  easy 


APPENDIX  B 


300 


to  prove ; not  only  so,  but  as  a result  of  contact 
with  white  men  there  is  a strong  tendency  in  the 
opposite  direction. 

Anyainbie  is  become  little  more  than  a name. 
He  is  now  seldom  or  never  addressed  in  prayer. 
There  is  little  thought  among  the  Galwa  of  to-day 
of  God’s  hatred  of  wickedness,  or  that  he  may  in 
extreme  cases  punish  sin.  Before  missionaries 
came  among  them,  fifteen  years  ago,  the  Galwa 
were  certainly  in  a fair  way  to  lose  all  intelligence 
of  Deity,  and  might  in  time  have  lost  even  the 
name ; but  the  religious  thought  of  the  Galwa  of 
long  ago  has  been  enshrined  in  the  classics  of  the 
language,  and  it  is  to  these  we  appeal  for  proof  of 
what  is  here  asserted.  There  is  still  available, 
though  likely  soon  to  be  forever  lost,  a vast  store 
of  unwritten  lore,  handed  down  from  a remote  past, 
in  traditions,  songs,  salutations,  proverbs,  fables, 
and  stories,  most  of  which  are  older  than  the  advent 
of  the  first  whites  on  this  coast,  and  simply  cannot 
have  been  in  any  way  influenced  by  them.  The 
fables  are  too  long  and  too  fanciful  to  be  quoted 
here.  Most  of  their  songs  are  borrowed  from  other 
tribes,  or  are  so  old  that  the  language  is  no  longer 
intelligible  even  to  themselves.  A few,  however, 
can  be  readily  understood,  and  bear  on  this  ques- 
tion. As  we  should  expect,  it  is  their  proverbs 
which  deal  most  with  morals  and  religion,  and  from 
these  we  get  our  clearest  glimpses  of  religious 
thought,  not  of  the  Africa  of  to-day,  but  of  Africa 
before  she  ever  knew  a white  race. 

One  use  of  Galwa  proverbs  is  peculiar.  Every 
chief  appropriated  one  as  his  individual  salutation. 
A neighbor  meeting  him  would  greet  him  by  re- 
peating a part  of  said  proverb,  and  he  would  reply 
by  finishing  it.  Each  chief  is  usually  named  after 
some  ancestor  of  note,  and  in  most  cases  adopts  his 


310 


APPENDIX  B 


proverb  as  his  salutation  or  motto.  Thus  these 
proverbs  have  followed  family  names  from  a remote 
past.  It  is  surprising  how  frequently  they  take  a 
religious  turn ; after  collecting  a large  number  of 
them,  I cannot  resist  the  conclusion  that  ancestors 
of  the  Galwa  were  in  a true  sense  a religious  people. 

I shall  cite  a number  of  these  salutations,  pro- 
verbs, and  songs,  but  in  doing  so  I must  regret 
that  they  cannot  be  read  in  the  original.  The  pith 
and  conciseness  of  statement  are  hopelessly  lost  in 
a translation. 

Salutations.— Address.  There  is  no  fetish  of  life 
(that  can  give  life).  Reply.  Fetish  only  Anyambie. 
(I.e.,  Only  God  can  give  life.) 

Address.  Death  knows  (has)  no  doctor.  Answer. 
Doctor  only  God.  (Equal  to  above.) 

Address.  Anyambie  having  done  (decreed). 
Answer.  There  is  no  doctor.  (I.e.,  No  medicine 
can  avail  where  God  has  decided.) 

Address.  Do  not  ridicule  me.  Answer.  Anyam- 
bie. (I.e.,  Do  not  ridicule  me,  for  God  made  me 
what  you  see  me.) 

Address.  Anyambie  forgets  no  one.  Answer.  All 
of  us.  (Meaning  all  of  us  will  be  called  by  death.) 

Salutation.  Pray  Anyambie,  or,  I beseech  thee, 
Anyambie.  The  person  addressed  repeats  the  same 
words,  and  adds : Do  not  kill  me  till  I first  eat  this 
plantain  my  wife  has  planted  after  it  has  ripened. 
(I.e.,  Spare  me  to  eat  this  plantain,  which  will  not 
be  grown  for  six  or  eight  months.) 

Proverbs.— Anyambie  is  planted  in  the  mouth. 
(That  is,  one  having  reproved  another  who  has  been 
behaving  badly,  and  his  reproof  not  being  well  re- 
ceived, he  leaves  him  with  the  above  proverb.) 

The  young  palm  that  Anyambie  has  made,  even 
though  an  elephant  break  it  down,  it  will  become  a 
full-grown  palm. 


APPENDIX  B 


311 


Songs.— A drinking-song:  Oh,  drink!  the  day 
that  I return  to  Anyambie,  there  will  be  two  items 
of  news  (lit.,  the  news  will  be  double).  This  song 
is  so  old  that,  like  a pebble  on  a wave-swept  beach, 
it  has  been  worn  out  of  all  grammatical  form ; but 
those  who  use  it  explain  it  thus : Oh,  drink ! for 
when  I die  the  news  to  be  talked  over  will  be  not 
simply  that  So-and-so  has  died,  but  what  a great 
man  I was.  Modern  Galwa  thought  never  com- 
posed that  song,  for  they  no  longer  retain  the 
thought  of  returning  to  God  at  death. 

Another  is  sung  when  a new  chief  is  installed. 
Old  form : PencV  Anyambie  Avila  tow  \igenge — Au- 
thority (of  king)  comes  from  God  out  of  the  far- 
off  heaven. 

Miscellaneous  Sayings.— A bad  man  dies. 
Everybody  remarks : Anyambie  has  reproved  him, 
as  he  deserved.  One  dies,  not  from  wounds  or  under 
suspicion  of  witchcraft.  They  say : He  died,  or  was 
killed,  by  the  war  of  Anyambie.  (Exactly  equiva- 
lent to  the  old  verdict,  “ Died  by  the  hand  of  God.77) 

I heard  of  one  old  Galwa  man,  who  died  not  long 
ago,  who  addressed  all  his  petitions  to  Anyambie. 
A violent  mourner  was  quieted  by  saying,  An- 
yambie has  taken  him.  This  did  not  indicate  a 
spirit  of  submission.  Dissatisfaction  with  God7s 
decree  was  often  ill  suppressed,  but,  after  diligent 
inquiry,  I am  unable  to  learn  that  any  one  ever 
dared  to  break  out  into  open  abuse  of  Anyambie. 

When  a cloud  hid  the  sun,  but  at  its  edge  showed 
a spot  of  unusual  brightness,  the  old  Galwa  said, 
The  throne  (chair)  of  Anyambie  is  there. 

Of  an  infant  smiling  in  its  sleep  they  say : He  is 
playing  with  Anyambie. 

A species  of  dragon-fly  may  be  seen  in  swarms 
flying  aimlessly  about  a given  spot  the  whole  of 
a sunny  afternoon.  The  old  Galwa  called  them 


312 


APPENDIX  B 


Anyambie’s  slaves.  Go  and  serve  Anyambie,  is  a 
curse.  Tell  a man  to  “ serve  God”  and  he  will 
angrily  say:  “You  want  to  kill  me,  do  you?”  A 
man  who  goes  about  aimlessly  or  on  a journey 
which  turns  out  to  be  useless  is  said  to  go  Ugend’ 
Anyambie,  an  expression  which  looks  as  if  it  ought 
to  mean  “ a journey  (or  going)  for  God.”  So  the 
phrase  for  “talking  nonsense”  looks  as  if  it  ought 
to  mean  “ speaking  to  (of  or  for)  God.”  I venture 
a probable  explanation  of  these  expressions.  The 
infant  smiles  at  nothing  in  this  world ; therefore  it 
must  be  at  something  invisible.  The  Galwa  can- 
not see  why  a man  should  walk  when  he  could  as 
well  sit,  or  the  dragon-fly  fly  when  it  could  as  well 
be  at  rest,  as  it  seems  to  have  no  object  in  flying. 
As  he  can  think  of  no  other  reason,  it  must  be 
carrying  out  some  purpose  of  Anyambie,  and  is  his 
slave.  That  telling  a man  to  serve  God  is  equiva- 
lent to  telling  him  to  die  suggests  that  there  was 
an  old  idea  according  to  which  the  dead  went  to 
serve  God.  But  evidently  the  idea  was  not  relished ; 
it  meant  giving  up  the  good  things  of  life.  Of  a 
sick  person  for  whom  there  is  no  hope  of  recovery 
it  is  said : “ There  remains  for  him  only  to  serve 
Anyambie.” 

I will  only  refer,  further,  to  the  names  of  persons 
and  towns,  which  often  include  the  word  “ Anyam- 
bie e.g.,  when  the  Nkami  tribe  emerged  from 
the  interior  and  built  their  first  town  on  the  coast, 
near  Fernan  Yaz,  and  at  last  got  a ship  to  stop  and 
buy  slaves  of  them,  they  called  the  name  of  the 
place  Anyambie,  as  if  God  had  helped  them  to  get 
the  trade  they  had  so  long  sought.  All  such  names 
were  given  in  recognition  of  some  striking  provi- 
dence. Examples  are : Anyambie  does ; Anyambie 
sees;  Anyambie  tries  (men);  Anyambie  cannot  be 
fled  from.  What  do  these  examples  prove  ? 


APPENDIX  B 


313 


1.  Clearly,  these  people  have  a distinct  idea  of  an 
invisible  Being  to  whom  they  refer  the  creation 
and,  perhaps  less  clearly,  government  of  the  world. 

2.  He  is  unhesitatingly  declared  to  be  the  Author 
of  life,  and  evidently  in  the  old  days  was  regarded 
as  the  Author  of  death.  A rank  growth  of  super- 
stition has  nearly  choked  out  this  latter  idea. 

3.  Some  proverbs  and  sayings  seem  to  prove 
that  long  ago  this  Creator  and  Governor  of  the 
world  was  thought  to  have  some  regard  for  the 
conduct  of  his  creatures  and  sometimes  visited  ex- 
ceptional wickedness  with  punishment. 

4.  They  seem  to  have  once  had  an  idea  that  at 
death  men  u returned  ” to  God.  No  trace  of  such 
belief  can  be  found  among  them  now,  except  in 
songs  and  proverbs  of  the  past. 

5.  A comparison  of  modern  Galwa  thought  with 
ideas  clearly  embodied  in  the  quotations  above 
proves,  it  seems  to  me,  that  in  recent  times  lower 
superstitions  have  grown  at  the  expense  of  these 
higher  forms  of  belief.  The  African  is  illogical, 
but  a people  so  superstitious  as  the  Galwa,  and  all 
their  neighbors,  could  never  have  evolved  the  really 
exalted  ideas  of  Deity  indicated  in  some  of  these 
sayings.  Their  theism  has  grown  dimmer  and 
dimmer ; a gross  superstition  has  gradually  taken 
its  place.  Not  because  it  ever  occurred  to  the 
Galwa  that  the  two  were  inconsistent,  but  because 
it  is  an  intellectual  impossibility  to  perpetually  at- 
tribute the  same  result  to  two  different  causes  ; one 
or  the  other  must  finally  usurp  the  whole  field. 

Instead  of  this  idea  of  a divine  Being  having 
been  introduced  by  white  men,  exactly  the  opposite 
is  the  truth.  The  Galwa,  before  the  first  gun  or  piece 
of  cloth  ever  reached  them,  were  low  savages,  but 
they  had  a settled  form  of  government  and  strin- 
gent laws  and  social  customs.  Trade  came.  The 


314 


APPENDIX  B 


king  at  first  had  a monopoly  of  this;  bnt  soon 
energy  began  to  tell,  and  others  became  almost  as 
rich  as  the  king.  Then  a growing  ambition  led  to 
a contest  for  the  succession,  and  the  tribe  was 
divided  into  two  towns.  These  soon  subdivided, 
until  to-day  there  are  nearly  as  many  chiefs,  or 
kings,  as  there  are  families.  A craze  for  wealth 
and  power  has  taken  possession  of  the  whole  peo- 
ple, and,  under  this  stimulus,  belief  in  fetishes  which 
doubtless  always  existed,  has  grown  by  leaps  and 
bounds.  Had  the  missionary  not  appeared  on  the 
scene,  the  idea  of  a supreme  Creator  and  Euler  of 
the  universe  was  likely  to  be  lost,  though  doubtless 
the  name  would  have  survived  for  a long  time. 

Africa  has  no  temples  where  Anyambie  is  wor- 
shiped ; no  sacrifices  are  made  or  libations  poured 
out  to  him ; but  it  will  not  do  to  claim  that  there- 
fore there  is  here  no  idea  of  such  a Being. 

Whatever  I have  said  of  the  Galwa  applies  equally 
to  all  Mpongwe-speaking  peoples— the  Nkami, 
Orungu,  Mpongwe,  etc.  I do  not  speak  for  the 
whole  continent,  but  inquiries  which  I have  been 
enabled  to  prosecute  lead  me  to  suspect  that  the 
Galwa  idea  of  a Supreme  Being  is  held  substan- 
tially all  over  pagan  Africa.  I have  found  it  in 
various  tribes  north  of  Kameruns  Mountain,  among 
peoples  whose  languages  have  no  affinity  with  those 
of  the  Bantu  family. 

[Citation  of  numerous  different  names  given  to 
the  Supreme  Being  by  the  Benga,  the  Kombe, 
Mabeya,  Fang,  Yoruba,  various  tribes  in  Kameruns 
and  on  the  Congo,  are  omitted  by  the  author.] 

. . . Here,  then,  we  have  a series  of  names  for 
Deity,  evidently  of  common  origin,  used  by  tribes 
widely  separated  and  differing  in  language  and 
customs.  How  came  they  by  this  common  root, 
expressing  a common  idea?  The  idea  must  have 


APPENDIX  B 


315 


existed  when  all  these  tribes  were  one  and  before 
these  widely  differing  languages  began  their  growth. 
The  present  tendency  is  for  the  idea  to  die  out,  and 
before  trade  brought  peoples  together  there  was 
almost  no  communication  between  different  tribes 
in  this  part  of  Africa.  The  reasonable  explanation 
seems  to  me  that  when  the  ancestors  of  all  these 
tribes  were  one  people  and  spoke  one  language 
they  had  an  idea  of  a Supreme  Being,  whom  they 
called  Nzam  or  Nyam  or  Nyambe,  and  that,  as  the 
original  family  broke  up  and  separated,  these  names 
grew  up  from  an  original  root.  If  so,  Africa  had 
a highly  spiritual  conception  of  Deity  for  a thou- 
sand years,  at  least. 

One  more  curious  fact  which  will,  it  seems  to 
me,  serve  to  emphasize  the  persistence  and  ancient 
lineage  of  this  root  “Nyam”  or  “Nzam.”  In  a 
number  of  cases  we  have  complex  or  compound 
names  for  Deity. 

[The  author  omits  Dr.  Good’s  citation  of  examples 
in  several  languages.] 

Some  form  of  our  familiar  root  always  begins 
the  formula.  Among  the  Akele  and  Syeki  the 
second  phrase  is  never  mentioned  unless  they  are 
pressed  by  questions.  In  all  these  series  the  im- 
portant name  is  the  first,  Nzam  (etc.).  He  is  Deity ; 
the  other  is  his  father.  The  second  phrase  is  not 
derived,  like  the  first  name,  from  a common  root, 
but  indicates  a local,  though  not  recent,  origin. 

But  why  is  the  second  person  always  introduced 
as  “ father,”  not  “ son,”  of  Nzam  ? Because,  in  the 
immemorial  tradition  of  all  these  tribes,  Nzam  (etc.) 
created,  or  gave  birth  to,  the  first  man  or  men,  and 
so  the  series  was  closed  there.  But  looking  back- 
ward, there  was  an  infinite  gap.  God  was  the 
Father  of  men,  but  who  was  the  father  of  God? 
That  question  is  asked  to-day,  and  I have  little 


316 


APPENDIX  B 


doubt  that  these  series  of  names  for  Deity  are  so 
many  local  attempts  to  answer  that  question. 
This  explains  why  the  names  superadded  to  the 
ancient  root  have  so  little  importance.  Anyambie 
having  made  the  world  and  men  and  animals,  there 
remains  no  sphere  to  be  assigned  to  another,  except 
to  be  father  or  grandfather  of  the  Creator. 

[Amplification^under  this  head,  by  comparison 
of  tribal  differences  in  reckoning  genealogy,  is 
omitted.] 

It  seems  to  me  these  facts  prove  conclusively  that 
the  people  of  Equatorial  West  Africa  are  not,  as  so 
many  have  claimed,  only  fetish-worshipers  wlio 
have  no  idea  of  Deity.  Not  that  those  higher  re- 
ligious ideas  have  any  influence  on  their  1 ves  and 
character.  I know  of  no  tribe  in  Africa  whose 
theism  makes  them  any  better  or  happier,  or  who 
render  to  their  acknowledged  Creator  any  true 
worship  or  service.  But  that  does  not  prove  that 
they  have  no  idea  of  God.  The  same  is  true  of 
thousands  in  America  who  would  feel  insulted  if 
called  atheists. 

But  it  seems  to  me  that,  in  view  of  the  facts, 
those  who  have  written  of  the  origin  of  religion 
must  reconstruct  their  theories.  If  religious  devel- 
opment begins  with  blank  atheism,  and  advances 
by  steps,  of  which  fetishism  is  one  of  the  lowest 
and  theism  the  last  and  highest  step,  wThy  have  our 
African  fetish-worshipers  these  ideas  of  Deity, 
which,  by  the  theory,  they  should  have  gained 
only  through  millenniums  of  evolution  ? 


«./  ! 


